When his name Kyrie Irving This is always accompanied by an awkward account of his off-field experiences and positions. A true virtuoso of the game, someone with skills on par with the best the NBA has ever seen, but also a player whose words have gotten him into tough situations many times over. The 2022-2023 season started (even earlier) with a new crisis brooklyn nets. Something broke within the group and it was Steve Nash who paid the piper. Shortly after, the Australian-born point guard was suspended indefinitely until he shows a change of attitude and stance on anti-Semitic issues following a new controversy.
At that point, Irving’s career was at a critical juncture. Entering the final year of his contract with Brooklyn, just 30 years old and with much left to give, Kai ran the risk of being left out for what happened and telling away from the trading floor.
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Upon his return, he had only one alternative: to speak on the field. “I’m here to focus on the game”, He said on November 20th after missing 8 games. Kyrie pushed aside the distractions to devote his full attention to making amends for what had limited the Nets and denied them their goal of getting to the ring.
Two months later and without Kevin Durant due to injury, Kyrie Irving is back to his best. And best of all, the Brooklyn Nets are in the conversation to be a contender for the ring.
There was no better way to verify his change in attitude and character than his demonstration at the home of the reigning champions, leading the New Yorkers to 120-116 win over the Golden State Warriors. All this thanks to 38 points on 12 of 22 field goals (54.5% accuracy), 7 rebounds and 9 assists, which included a great display in the clutch. With 5 goals and 1 assist in the last minute and a half, Brooklyn sealed their comeback away from home, turning the negative score -17 on the verge of halftime.
👀 How can you not like basketball if it has Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry?
🗣️ The reflection of Zack Vaughn, coach of the Nets, after the game with the Warriors pic.twitter.com/dHEhShIBi6
— Sportingnewses Spain 🇪🇸 (@sportingnewses) January 23, 2023
Irving’s improvement has been remarkable since his return (physical issues aside), especially in aspects of the game where he wasn’t paying full attention before. And where was this captured? On defense. Against the Warriors, the Nets point guard showed that one can also be a difference maker on that side of the court:
In all 16 defensive sequences in which he was responsible for preventing Warriors players from scoring, he conceded only 6 attempts. This translates to a 37.5% accuracy.which left him as the second-fewest receiver on his team (Joe Harris, 28.6%) and along with Ben Simmons (38.5%) were largely responsible for the win.
Without Kevin Durant, in the middle of the road trip and in a very tight Eastern Conference, Kyrie Irving is proving that he can be a leader and positively impact his team’s performance.
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