Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving had some poignant comments about his team's prospects following Brooklyn's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, suggesting the Nets need “one or two more pieces” in order to compete with the elite teams in the NBA:
Kyrie thinks the Nets need one or two more pieces to compete with the best teams. pic.twitter.com/yhCihlPu5Y
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 16, 2020
The comments drew reactions from personnel around the league, including retired NBA veteran and current analyst Kendrick Perkins:
He’s not a leader and I don’t know why everybody is surprised at this. He showed that last year
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) January 16, 2020
Irving's comments–and the frustration surrounding his words–must be contextualized.
For starters, Irving notoriously struggled to own the leadership role and get through to the young players as a member of the Boston Celtics. Irving began the 2018-19 season suggesting he wanted to re-sign with Boston the following summer, but he constantly changed his tune and–following their playoff loss to the Milwaukee Bucks–it seemed pretty clear he was on his way out of town.
Kyrie and Kevin Durant both signed with the Nets this past summer, though there was an understanding they might not be “championship caliber” given Durant is expected to miss the remainder of this season.
However, Kyrie proceeded to suffer an early setback due to a shoulder impingement. He missed close to two months, and the Nets went 13-13 in his absence.
Yet, Irving made these same comments just three days after making his return to action. Moreover, the Nets are 1-2 in his first three games back, with the lone win coming against the lowly Atlanta Hawks.
Even if Kyrie's comments are accurate, it might be out of place for him to hint at roster improvement when he has been inactive for the vast majority of the season.
Follow Us
Subscribe