After Nets fall in Philly, Irving says team needs more pieces to improve
PHILADELPHIA — Kyrie Irving believes the Nets roster requires upgrades beyond the eventual return of Kevin Durant.
Irving, speaking right after Brooklyn’s 117-106 loss Wednesday to the Sixers, laid out his hopes for offseason additions and it sounds like GM Sean Marks better get working.
“I mean, it’s transparent. It’s out there. It’s glaring, in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be at that next level,” Irving said. “I’m going to continue to reiterate it. We’re going to do the best with the guys that we have in our locker room now, and we’ll worry about all the other stuff, in terms of moving pieces and everything else, as an organization down the line in the summer. It’s just something that we signed up for.
“We knew what we were coming into at the beginning of this season. Guys were going down left and right. (Garrett Temple) is out, (DeAndre Jordan) just got hurt (with a dislocated finger on Wednesday), Wilson (Chandler) just came back (from a PED suspension). We’ve got complimentary young guys, as well, that have done a great job the last three years. Collectively, I feel like we have great pieces, but it’s pretty glaring we need one more piece or two more pieces that will compliment myself, KD (Kevin Durant), DJ (DeAndre Jordan), GT (Garrett Temple), Spence (Spencer Dinwiddie), Caris (LeVert), and we’ll see how that evolves.”
The Nets (18-22) won’t have many assets at their disposal without cap space in the summer or their own first-round pick (traded to Atlanta to create space to sign Irving and Durant). But they own the Sixers’
first-round pick and Marks has publicly stated the team is committed to paying the luxury tax. Joe Harris is the only rotation player who is not under contract next season.
Irving isn’t giving up on this season but he clearly understands it’s a bridge to Durant’s return.
“Just be healthy. Be as healthy as possible,” Irving said when asked about his goal for this campaign. “You never know what can happen as the season progresses, and we’ve just got to take every day as an opportunity to lead these guys and do what you can.
“It’s glaring that you’re missing a big piece here. We all know that. But we can’t continue to make that excuse. We’ve got to go out there and compete and continue to lock in and see where we end up.”
Irving struggled through an inefficient performance Wednesday while scoring just 14 points on 6-for-21 shooting. He went 1for-7 in the fourth quarter and the Nets collapsed down the stretch, succumbing to a 13-2 run in the final four minutes.
For Irving, it was the second game of a back-to-back following a long absence and fatigue affected his shot. In his previous two games – which followed 26 games missed because of a shoulder impingement – Irving shot 73.3% (22-30) from the field and 66.7% (4-6) from beyond the arc.
“I was trying to pace myself as best I could,” Irving said. “In the first quarter some of the shots I was making (in Tuesday’s loss to the Jazz) were a little short. (The Sixers) were being very physical. Any team we’re playing against they’re going to game plan pretty tough to be physical with me and kind of corral me into the pick-and-roll. So I feel like I could’ve attacked a little bit more but I was just doing my best with how my body felt. That monkey was definitely on my back tonight hitting the fourth quarter. But I’ll continue to get better from this.”