Harden isn’t applying pressure on his All-Star teammate
James Harden isn’t upset with Kyrie Irving for his continued absence and he isn’t publicly calling on his Nets teammate to get vaccinated. But Harden wouldn’t deny the obvious either: Irving not being allowed to play in more than 40 games would limit the NBA favorites’ extremely high ceiling.
“If he’s not on the court, yeah [it would hurt us]. He’s one of our best players and one of our leaders,” Harden said after practice Thursday.
Irving hasn’t been with the team since it returned from the West Coast. He is barred from playing or even practicing at home due to his refusal to comply with New York City vaccination mandates. The Nets had expected Irving would get the COVID-19 vaccine prior to training camp (general manager Sean Marks said before practices began he thought everyone would be ready to participate fully), but that hasn’t happened. On media day, Irving talked to reporters over Zoom and requested his privacy. He said then he planned to release more information at a later date.
As it stands, Irving could miss as many as 43 games — the Nets’ 41 home games and the two at the Garden against the Knicks. He will lose $381,181 per missed game, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Nets’ former assistant general manager. The team listed him as out/ineligible for Friday’s preseason game at Barclays Center against the Bucks.
“I want him to be on the team, of course,” Harden said, when asked if he hopes Irving would get vaccinated. “He’s been a huge part since I’ve been here, a huge part of our success. The success we did have last year, we were kind of finding a rhythm, that chemistry that we’ve built. I can remember last year that one road trip we had, me and Kyrie. He’s just a special talent that you don’t really see often, so of course I would want him to be on the team. He’s one of the reasons why I came here.”
As the regular season nears — the Nets will open their schedule in less than two weeks against the defending-champion Bucks — it’s still uncertain how Irving plans to proceed. On Wednesday, the seven-time All-Star’s close friend and teammate Kevin Durant said he wouldn’t pressure Irving to get the vaccine, but did say he is “en
visioning Kyrie being a part of our team.” Harden, meanwhile, hasn’t spoken to Irving since the Nets returned to Brooklyn.
But Harden stopped short of criticizing the 29-year-old Irving. He repeatedly said it’s important for the Nets to focus on what they can control and not let anything distract them from the daily grind of training camp and preparing for the season. The Irving situation, he believes, will work itself out.
“It’s not disappointing at all. It’s not disappointing,” Harden said. “Ky believes in what he believes in. His family is behind him, we’re behind him. That’s all that it is.”
If Irving doesn’t get the vaccine, it’s uncertain how the Nets plan to operate — if they will allow him to be a part-time member of the team who only practices and plays on the road. Harden did not directly answer whether that could work, though he did say it is something that will have to be resolved.
“That’s [up to the] front office, Ky and Ky’s family,” Harden said. “I’m sure they’ll figure out what’s best for each other.”
What exactly that is — or what Irving plans to do — remains unclear. zbraziller@nypost.com