In many ways, this season has very much been one to forget for Kyrie Irving, with the Brooklyn Nets star missing much of the campaign due to his vaccination status; however, it does appear that the 30-year-old is set to receive some positive news.
Irving had been banned from playing for the Nets on their home court due to the mandate in place regarding the coronavirus vaccination status of players and officials, but that mandate has now been lifted and leaves him free to be part of Steve Nash’s plans for the remainder of the season.
The season started with the Nets sitting at the top of the betting odds for the NBA title, but if you look over at www.sidelines.io, you’ll see that they are now behind the all-conquering Phoenix Suns and still have a job to do in order to make the playoffs at all.
They sit in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with a patchy 39-35 record and will likely have to qualify with the play-in tournament if they are to make it to the post-season. Irving has made just 19 starts this season but averages a healthy 27.7 points per game this season, showing that he has a lot to offer the Nets’ cause.
With just nine games left of the regular season, six of which are at the Barclays Center, Irving can make a real impact in the run-in, and he is understandably very excited at the prospect of being a regular player in the Nets’ line-up.
“Please take my comment seriously when I say I’ve been pinching myself since Wednesday and Thursday because there was a time where I got my hopes really, really high and all the air just got let out,”
“I didn’t want to get too excited. Still tonight, I’m trying to stay focused on this game. But I know tomorrow will eventually come, and I’m looking forward to playing back in Brooklyn.”
“To be honest, I signed up for this for the long run,”
“I love this year. I’m grateful. It has not been the prototypical year. But when I look at my team-mates, I look at what we have as an organization. I’m looking for the long run and what we can do, legacy talk.” Irving added.
Irving’s return is something that has certainly energized his team-mates, and Kevin Durant can’t wait to have such a crucial player back in the fold, week in, week out;
“It’s a long time coming,”
“It’s an exciting time for Brooklyn Nets fans and New York fans to see one of our own back on the floor at home. It means a lot to our team; happy to have him back, and look forward to finishing the season strong.”
It would be fair to say that Irving’s decision not to get vaccinated was something of a distraction for much of the season, and he, out of choice or not, became a poster boy for the Anti-Vax movement and the whole roadshow that came with the situation certainly hasn’t helped Nash’s team play to their fullest potential.
Now with a handful of games left to play, Nash will hope Irving and co. do what is necessary to keep their season going beyond April.
