Kyrie on pace to play at Indiana tomorrow
It’s the worst-kept secret in all of basketball: Kyrie Irving is almost assuredly set to make his season debut in Indiana against the Pacers tomorrow.
Nets head coach Steve Nash slightly pushed back against a report from The Athletic that stated Irving has targeted the Jan. 5 matchup for his return to play. But it wasn’t a convincing pushback by any stretch of the imagination.
“Yeah, we’re hopeful, but no determination has been made, so we’ll see how he does between now and then,” Nash said ahead of tipoff against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. He was then asked to specify the determining factors paving a way for Irving’s return. “How he feels and whether we determine it safe for him to come back,” Nash responded.
Nice try, coach. Nice try.
If Irving makes his debut on Wednesday, it will mark the the first game the seven-time All-Star has played all season after New York City’s vaccine mandate rendered him ineligible for home games at Barclays Center — and after his franchise’s decision to hold him out of road games and home practices left him on the couch, a rogue hooper seeking runs throughout North Jersey.
Brooklyn’s brass has since reversed course on that decision, and Jan. 5 against the Pacers has been the most logical date for his return.
Nash has maintained that Irving must undergo a ramp-up period of conditioning before returning to the rigors of NBA play, but both he and Irving’s teammates have said their All-Star scoring guard has looked nothing short of himself in practice and pick-up games since his return.
“You know Kai, he’s a one-of-one player, a one-of-one individual. We can’t wait to have him back,” third-year big man Nic Claxton said after shootaround on Monday. “Hopefully he’s gonna be with us in Indiana, so we’re looking forward to having him back, and it’ll be a small adjustment period, but having one of the best point guards of all-time on the court, you can never go wrong with that.”
Irving brings firepower — and shock factor — to one of the league’s most explosive offenses that has lacked its spunk and punch this season. Without his 27 points and six assists per game, the Nets have had to compensate by playing better defense, gang rebounding and making hustle plays necessary to win games.
Defense, rebounding and hustle plays don’t always win games, though. Sometimes you need the talent, and while Kevin Durant and James Harden are shoo-in Hall of Famers, the Nets have missed the third prong of their offensive attack this season. It has shown in their 1-6 record against the NBA’s championship contenders, with Brooklyn’s only win coming against a team that may not belong in that category, the dumpster-fire Los Angeles Lakers.
Irving’s return to the rotation, even if only for road games, will help the Nets no matter which way you slice it. He’s a big-play maker, a big-shot taker and an offensive star capable of alleviating the load on Durant and Harden for stretches at a time. Irving’s return to the rotation will likely revert Patty Mills back to his role captaining the second unit.
That return is likely scheduled for Wednesday unless the Nets decide to reverse course.
“It’s exciting to know that we obviously have the caliber that’s been in a way tucked in our back pocket,” Mills said after Monday’s shootaround. He then noted it will be easier said than done to integrate Irving back into the rotation: “On paper it’s all said and good, but we’ve gotta be able to understand and know how to use (the new-look rotation), but it’s very exciting, something that I’m excited for to be able to play with him. So in terms of offense and the high caliber, everyone knows who he is and what he does, but I think he’ll bring that good pace, movement and ball movement to the group where I think at times we’re stagnant and I think he’ll be perfect for that.”