As their journey to capture an NBA Championship begins, the Brooklyn Nets may have to reconcile with the fact that their star point guard, Kyrie Irving, may miss more than half the season due to his failure to comply with COVID-19 protocols.
A notorious vaccine doubter, Irving remains one of the few players who has resisted the pressures to get the shot, and he won’t be able to play in any Brooklyn Nets home games unless he does.
As the standoff continues, Irving has yet to show any signs of cracking, and the Nets may have to prepare to start the season without Uncle Drew.
Speaking on ESPN, Nets star Kevin Durant spoke on the status of his teammate, declaring faith that he’ll be a part of their roster going forward.
(via ESPN)
Irving missed his second straight day of practice in Brooklyn as New York City’s COVID-19 protocols only allow players with at least one vaccination shot to practice and play. As uncertainty increases each day surrounding the All-Star guard’s vaccination status and whether he will be able to practice and play at home with the Nets, Durant said the Nets “are anxious to be a whole team” but that he also respects Irving’s personal decision.
“I’m envisioning Kyrie being a part of our team,” the star forward told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “Maybe I’m just naïve, but that is just how I feel. But I think everybody here has that confidence in themselves, in our group, that if we keep building, we can do something special.”
Even with Durant and Harden, the Nets are going to be competitive. Together, the pair have more than enough talent to make a deep playoff run, especially considering some of the role players they have around them.
Without Kyrie, though, they’ll be missing a critical and important member of their squad. KD is confident he’ll be available full-time, but the longer this controversy goes on, the more unlikely it seems that Irving will avoid missing significant time in this campaign.
