The Brooklyn Nets are riding a four-game win streak, the last two of which have coincided with the addition of James Harden to the lineup as he’s off to a tremendous start to his tenure in New York. Harden and Kevin Durant seem to very much enjoy playing with one another, and the results have been undeniable, with wins over the Magic and, most impressively, the Bucks.
The big question for most when Harden was added to the Nets roster was how that would impact Kyrie Irving, as the All-Star point guard figures to move off ball much more than he’s accustomed to. That’s not to say it’s a role he can’t excel in, but it’s certainly going to be a change. Irving has missed the last seven games for the Nets while on personal leave, that included him getting a robust fine for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols by attending a birthday party for his sister and then having to test negative numerous times to be allowed to return to the court.
He did just that on Tuesday, rejoining the team at practice for the first time in two weeks and will be making his return to game action on Wednesday night against his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Wednesday.
Steve Nash expects Kyrie Irving to play tomorrow in Cleveland.
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) January 19, 2021
Irving also spoke, saying he “needed a pause” and was excited to be back with the team and was excited to play with Harden for the first time.
Kyrie Irving apologizes to fans he disappointed by not playing. "I am back, I am happy to be back, we got some great pieces and we move on and I let my actions and my game speak for itself like I planned on doing. I just needed a pause."
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) January 19, 2021
Kyrie Irving on his absence:
"A lot of family and personal stuff going on, I just want to leave it at that" pic.twitter.com/gQsz2mQyLy
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) January 19, 2021
Kyrie didn’t elaborate much further on his leave, but it’s good news for the Nets that he’s back and seems to be in good spirits after his absence. Now, for really the first time since the very start of this season, Brooklyn can look forward to trying to establish some consistency and continuity with their full roster and try to get their three superstars on the same page.
