Over the last few seasons, Kyrie Irving has been involved in a lot of controversies. So much so that fans have started to forget how amazing of a player he is when he is 100% focused on playing the game of basketball.
Last season, Kai missed a lot of games due to his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine and a few injury troubles as well. Even after his return to the team, he wasn’t at his 100% and failed to make an impact for the Nets come playoff time.
Following a first-round exit in the 2022 NBA playoffs, many expected Irving to leave the Nets in the offseason. But he stayed with the team and is now ready to change the narrative about him in the media. Even before the start of the season, Kai has gathered huge praise from his superstar teammate Kevin Durant and head coach Steve Nash.
Nic Claxton Thinks Kyrie Irving Can Win The MVP Award
There’s no doubt about Kyrie being one of the best players in his position when he’s healthy. But can he win the regular season MVP award? It’s tough to debate about that since Kyrie hasn’t played a lot of games in the last few seasons, which were supposed to be the prime years of his career.
Regardless of that, Kai’s teammate Nic Claxton believes that the 30-year-old can win the MVP award if he wants to.
Via NJ.com:
“He’s bringing a totally different energy this year. He’s definitely been locked in. He’s ready to make an impact … He’s ready to change the narrative on himself. That’s big for us having him full time and not having to worry about the COVID stuff. I think he can be MVP, he can be Finals MVP, whatever he puts his mind to he can do it.”
It’s great to see that Claxton has Kyrie’s back and wants his teammate to succeed after being berated by fans and the media over the last few seasons. Realistically, it’s hard to see Kyrie winning MVP honors in the 2022-23 NBA season. But there’s still no way to know the future, and Kyrie may prove everyone wrong.