Wednesday marked the day that Kyrie Irving returned to practice this season. For the first time since training camp, the 2012 first overall pick was fully integrated with his teammates. Now eligible for up to 22 regular season road games, fans will eye the Jan. 5th game at Indiana or the Jan. 12th game at Chicago for the long-awaited 2022 season debut of a seven-time All-Star.

The player who Kyrie Irving came to Brooklyn with, back in summer of 2019, (which now feels like a decade ago because of this damn pandemic) Kevin Durant, has played some of the best basketball of his career this season despite not having his running mate.

The duo of KD and Kyrie have only actually appeared in 36 games so far for the Nets. Durant, of course missed the entire 2019-2020 season. Then in 2020-2021, they appeared in 27 regular season and nine playoff games, while limited by injuries.

In many respects, we're still waiting to see what this dynamic duo can do together on the floor. It's possible they haven't even scratched the surface yet in terms of chemistry they might be able to build.

Here are three ways Kyrie Irving's Nets' return could affect Kevin Durant

3) Less regular season responsibility for KD

Durant is leading the NBA in points per game with 29.7 points per outing. KD is second overall in minutes per game, logging a whopping 37 mpg, trailing just Toronto's Fred Vanvleet in that category. The 2014 MVP is tied 19th overall with his former teammate Stephen Curry, averaging 5.9 dimes per game. Curry happens to be KD's top comp for the 2022 NBA MVP too.

The Nets have made no secret they were concerned with the demands they've placed on Durant so far. Recall, a season ago, he only played about every other game. Now he's a minutes leader without taking nights off, routinely carrying his team to victory.

Having Irving in the fold will mean a few things.

Even if Irving's return is weeks away, the team can breathe a sigh of relief as it pertains to home court advantage and playoff seeding. When they didn't know if Irving would suit up for them at all this year, trying to maximize the number of playoff games they'd host at The Clays was paramount. With Irving now eligible for road games, it's arguable they'd be better off notĀ having home court throughout the entire playoffs.

That sounds a bit extreme but it's not a crazy thought. Durant and James Harden have been beatable by elite teams. That may not change much by April. But Durant, HardenĀ and Irving,Ā that's a lot harder to beat, even if a team had home court advantage. The Nets might quibble with us here, but we can infer they won't lose much sleep over a loss in early January because of how it might impact their playoff seed down the road now that Kyrie is back. There's much less pressure on a nightly basis.

And of course, Irving's presence allows coach Steve Nash to buy more rest games for KD along the way. On the nights Durant is in the game, Nash can now afford to be a little more rigid with minute restrictions. And if this team can improve upon that 11th overall Offensive Rating, they won't have to task KD with such difficult defensive assignments. Some nights they may blow teams out and get to ā€œload manageā€ KD the old fashioned way sitting him the entire fourth quarter.

In almost every facet, Irving's presence makes Duran't life easier and places less of a physical toll on his 33 year-old legs.

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2) This improves Durant's chances at MVP

Let's face it, one of the most important elements to winning an MVP award is the narrative. We'll likely never know if the Nets would have maintained the top seed in the East had Irving never suited up. But now at 23-9, adding so much talent, they'll have a real chance to finish among the top three or four teams in the entire league, record-wise.

If this team locks up home court advantage, KD will have one heck of a claim at the 2022 MVP. Even if his points per game starts to dip, he's likely to remain amongst the league leaders on one of the very best teams. The best player on the top team in a given Conference often has a case to be made for MVP. And that goes for some dudes who, with all due respect, aren't even in the same stratosphere as KD talent-wise.

1) Kevin Durant has a much better shot at a championship now

Before it was announced Irving would be back, it started to feel like the Nets were a nice team. Not world beaters. Not mediocre. But a nice, solid team. The Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns seemed like they were better when they played. The Milwaukee Bucks are only ramping up. But even if the Dubs return Klay Thompson, it will be difficult for anyone to outclass a trio of Harden, Durant and Irving.

Kyrie's return increases the chances that Durant is healthy for the post season. It increases the chances Durant wins the 2022 MVP. And it increases the chances Brooklyn wins a championship. And that's a lot of reasons to smile for the game's best.