Kyrie Irving joined the Nets prior to the start of this season, signing a four-year, $141 million deal. Expectations for the ensuing campaign were on the rise, as he's recognized as one of the best ball handlers in today's NBA. However, the former Duke Blue Devil has dealt with injuries for much of his first stint with the team. As a result, he's played in just 20 games, and the injury bug bit him again this week.
So… is it time to shut Kyrie down for the rest of this season?
It's certainly worth considering for the Nets, who have struggled to find a rhythm this season. Currently, Brooklyn is holding a 25-28 overall record, which would be good for a seventh seed if the playoffs started today. That's an okay season for some teams, but it's probably not the sort of output that Nets management had in mind for this campaign.
Making things a bit worse is the fact that Brooklyn is also without the services of Kevin Durant for the remainder of this season. Like Irving, Durant joined the Nets before the start of this season. However, Durant is still recovering from an Achilles injury.
Earlier this week, news came down the wire stating that Irving had reaggravted the shoulder injury that he's been dealing with throughout this season. He's currently listed as “out indefinitely,” according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. The ailment, which is being described as deteriorating of the shoulder, has forced the former No. 1 overall pick to the sidelines for a total of 26 games.
Kyrie Irving has re-aggravated his injured right shoulder that cost him 26 games and is out indefinitely again, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed today
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 18, 2020
“Irving's injury is best described as a deterioration in the shoulder,” Stein reports. “When he discussed his return in late December, Irving acknowledged that he took a cortisone shot at the time in hopes of avoiding surgery. The reality is that he has been playing with on and off discomfort.”
In his 20 appearances with the Nets this season, Irving has racked up averages of 27.4 points on 47.8 percent shooting from the field (39.4 percent from beyond the arc), 6.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 32.9 minutes per outing. Notably, his 92.2 percent mark from the free-throw line in this campaign in a career-high.
If Irving's shoulder needs a significant amount of time to heal — and it sounds like it might — the Nets should indeed go ahead and shut him down for the remainder of this campaign. There is no sense in risking any further complications to his injury. Hopefully, Brooklyn will be at full strength next season.
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