WASHINGTON — There’s no good time to lose Kevin Durant for a month, which is simply what the Nets are going through. There are solely unhealthy occasions and worse occasions.
However at the least now could be merely a foul time.
The Nets are embarking on their longest focus of highway video games this season. Usually that may be a foul time to be with out their star, however there’s been nothing regular about this season or Kyrie Irving’s scenario.
Irving is ineligible to play at house as a result of he’s unvaccinated, and he made it painstakingly clear he has no intention of fixing his thoughts and getting vaccinated. However with the Nets only one recreation right into a stretch of 11 of 14 on the highway, Irving will likely be largely obtainable over the following month to assist ease James Harden’s burden.
The Nets had been 16-4 final season with that dynamic duo and no Durant. Can Brooklyn repeat that success, beginning Wednesday in Washington?
“Yeah, it’s useful for positive that we've got a variety of highway video games, useful the All-Star break is on this stretch too,” Steve Nash stated, earlier than including he doesn’t need to heap an excessive amount of on Irving’s shoulders. “I would like Kyrie to have the area to regain his rhythm, and never overburden it with, ‘Now that Kevin’s out, it's a must to take over and lead league in scoring.’
“I would like him to search out his legs with out feeling an additional burden. … He hasn’t performed for six months; and coming again into the NBA recreation with little cadence and tough observe alternatives, we've got to present him area to search out his rhythm with out feeling overburdened or an excessive amount of stress to do issues too shortly.”
However time is of the essence, as a result of the Nets can’t waste Irving’s presence on this four-game journey adopted by a back-to-back at house earlier than embarking on a five-game trek.
Irving admits he’s nonetheless discovering his rhythm, and that he can’t replicate Durant, as a result of nobody can.
“We simply must be able to make changes on the fly and do no matter is required for guys to fill in that position. You may’t ever substitute Kevin. It’s unattainable. So we face that actuality proper this second and shifting ahead on this highway journey,” Irving stated. “We all know that on a given night time, me and James can go for 30 apiece.
“However we’re actually wanting ahead to seeing a variety of guys chipping in on the offensive finish. Then defensively, our communication needs to be actually crisp as a result of we don’t have anyone that may clear up a few of the errors on the again facet like Kevin. … Now we simply must collectively train each other. I’m nonetheless discovering my bearings with the staff, so I’m simply taking it one recreation at a time.”
As soon as this stretch ends on Feb. 12 in Miami, they’ll play three straight sans Irving — two house video games sandwiched round a visit to the Backyard, the place he’s additionally ineligible. Then they’ll head into the All-Star break with at the least some cheap hope of getting Durant again after that.
However that three-game stretch will put much more burden on Harden, who hasn’t appeared like his MVP self. He’s a minus-21 in his final 10 video games, and admitted after a minus-18 efficiency in opposition to the Cavs that he has to lift his recreation.
“I do know individually myself I’ve received to be quite a bit higher, each ends of the ball. You recognize, simply a variety of mishaps or no matter you need to name it, to the place I’ve received to be higher,” stated Harden, who’ll play Wednesday regardless of taking a knock Monday, and is absolutely conscious of the significance of cashing in on the highway.
“We’ve received an enormous alternative — an enormous alternative, that’s what we take a look at it as to be on the highway. After this highway journey we’ve received two house video games after which we’re again on the highway, so large alternative for us [as a] group, to return collectively and run off some wins.”
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