The Brooklyn Nets have spent much of the season playing without their star signings from this past summer, with Kevin Durant likely missing the season with a torn Achilles and Kyrie Irving injuring his shoulder after 11 games of the season.
Irving’s absence has lasted longer than most initially anticipated, as he’s had to receive cortisone shots to relieve pain as he attempts to avoid having surgery. This past week, the Nets got good news as Irving made his return to practice, participating fully and without any limitations. Irving said he would evaluate how he felt after a week, but it seems as though his return will be sooner than even that.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Irving will make his return to the floor on Sunday when the Nets face the Atlanta Hawks, a welcome sign for a skidding Brooklyn team.
Kyrie Irving is likely to make his return to the Nets lineup on Sunday against Atlanta, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 11, 2020
The Nets snapped a seven-game losing streak with a win over the Heat in their last outing, but after playing well in Irving’s absence initially thanks to the play of Spencer Dinwiddie, they’ve struggled mightily over the last few weeks. Irving’s return figures to be a significant help, given he should give them a major offensive boost that they need, and facing a Hawks team that is very friendly to opposing point guards is an ideal place to work him back into action.
