With only 11 games to conclude the 2021-22 NBA regular season, the part-time status of Kyrie Irving continues toconcernthe Brooklyn Nets.The postseason is just around the corner and there are no signs that anything will change before then.
Irving missed a number of games at the beginning of the campaign until the team decided to let him play at least inroad games, as the New York City vaccine mandate for the private sector prevents him from playing at the Barclays Center.
There was a lot of speculation that he could become fully available by the time the playoffs began but, with the regular seson finale drawing nearer, it seems that things will stay the same way theyare.
Kevin Durant showsKyrie Irving his support, again
Even though Irving faced a lot of critics for not getting the jab, Kevin Durant has constantly had his back and supported him on his decision. Despite the Nets face a crucial part of their season and need Kyrie more than ever, KD’s stance abouthis teammate remains unchanged.
“I mean, what is it, April almost?“ Durant said, via ESPN, as quoted by Fadeaway World.“It’s pretty obvious that he’s not going to take the shot. So like I said, just focus on who you are and what you bring to the team every day and once that situation gets figured out, then it will. It’s out of my control, it’s out of everybody else’s control. So you can’t force anybody to do anything. So just try to just focus on me.
“We love Kyrie as a human being. I don’t think we were ever upset at him as much as people on the outside were. We get that it may affect the outcome of some basketball games, but that’s not the only reason why we love Kyrie as a person because what he can bring to the court. I think overall him as a human being, we respect who he is, we respect the game on top of that. He made the decision for himself, so you just got to respect it and move forward.
“We wasn’t coming in here every day pissed off at him because he wasn’t around. We’re just trying to focus on us individually and who was in this building as a collective and let that stuff work itself out. When he was able to come back in here, it felt like nothing changed.”
Durant has all fair points. Irving made his position aboutthe vaccine crystal clear and that is probably not going to change anytime soon, even if that means he has to miss the biggest games of the season. Meanwhile, it’s up to KD to keep up with his fantastic level to try and finish the season strongly before playoff time comes.