As we head into another season of the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era in Brooklyn, things have calmed down just a little bit. It was an offseason full of turmoil and drama but with the action finally set to start, everyone seems focused on just playing basketball.
The Nets organization would hope this lasts forever, as they are desperate for the team not to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons once again. We doubt the drama would just disappear all of a sudden, and when you have Kyrie on your team, it is never too far away. It does, however, seem like Kyrie is a bit of a changed man behind the scenes.
Kevin Durant And Steve Nash Praise Kyrie Irving
He recently admitted he had some regrets about how the last year went down, as he should have because he was the one responsible for most of the issues surrounding the team. He was a proper headache for the front office and the coaching staff to deal with, but Kyrie has been a different person in the lead-up to this season. Head coach Steve Nash and Durant were full of praise for the way Kyrie has carried himself as they praised his leadership in particular.
“Kyrie’s been unbelievable,” head coach Steve Nash said after practice at the HSS Training Facility in Industry City on Monday. “His performances on both ends of the floor have been exceptional. Not just in games, but in practices. I think his leadership and mentorship to the young guys has been great. He’s just been outstanding top to bottom this whole preseason.”
“Kai is amazing, talking to everybody, communicating, being one of the heads of the snake on both ends of the floor for us,” Durant said after Monday’s practice. “And we need that talk from everybody, the veteran guys, we need to continue to be in constant communication so we can figure things out on the court. Having a guy like Kai – who’s won a championship, who’s been in those locker rooms and those series – is only going to help us moving forward.”
It does seem like he has been a very positive influence, which is good to see after everything that has happened in the past. If he manages to stay this way for the whole season, then perhaps the Nets will finally live up to expectations.
Teammate Patty Mills had also stated previously that their culture had changed from last season, so they’re saying all the right things at this point. We’ll find out soon enough, though, just how much things have actually changed in Brooklyn.
