Ever since leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving has not been the same player that the fans fell in love with. When he is on the pitch, he mesmerizes the fans with his amazing handles and the ability to score with ease.
But more often than not, Kyrie has been part of controversies in his post-Cavaliers career. Be it for making false promises to the fans of the Boston Celtics or for refusing to get vaccinated. A lot of fans can’t figure out how to react when Kyrie is on the court.
Previously at least, Irving was still playing well, but since his return to the Nets roster, he has failed to play at the level that fans expect him to. It is understandable that he returned after a long break due to injuries and his vaccine stance. But with Kevin Durant being injured and Harden not playing well consistently, the fans expect him to be good.
It must be huge pressure for the former NBA champion to handle it. So much so that after the Nets’ most recent defeat at the hands of the Utah Jazz, Irving admitted that he has not been at his best for various reasons.
“I don’t think I’m close to where I want to be personally. The 8-month layoff coming off my ankle injury, not being able to have the summer that I wanted to, not having preseason, not being able to you know just dive in with the guys early on in the season. You know the way I wanted to, it definitely had an impact mentally and physically. But I’m just battling through it and just trying to put a full 40-minute game together where I know I’m myself but ultimately I’m able to lead the other guys on our team to win.
"I don't think I'm close to where I want to be personally. The 8-month layoff coming off my ankle injury, not being able to have the summer that I wanted to, not having preseason…it definitely had an impact mentally and physically" – Kyrie Irving pic.twitter.com/6dD14xpzkI
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) February 5, 2022
It seems like Kyrie is fully aware of the situation that he is in. Moreover, with the Nets losing their last seven games, he needs to find his form sooner rather than later.
To make things worse for him is the fact that James Harden might get traded for Ben Simmons in the coming days. So if a new star player arrives at the team, it will take Kyrie and the rest of the Nets sometime before they gel up.
