LaMarcus Aldridge came up big for the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday in a 123-90 blowout win over the Orlando Magic. Aldridge's strong performance off the bench earned the praise of teammate Kevin Durant, who may have just revealed his true feelings on Kyrie Irving.
KD had nothing but praise for Aldridge, who logged 21 points, and eight rebounds off the bench, as he expressed the important role the veteran has played for the Nets this season:
“He just wants to win,” Durant said on Aldridge, via Dave Early of ClutchPoints. “Wants to be in a culture like this that is fighting for something bigger than yourself. Sacrifice to come off the bench, sacrifice touches, shot attempts, but still staying ready. That's a true pro, true vet… So he's staying ready and that's a testament to how hard he works.”
Obviously, Durant made no mention of Kyrie in his statement. However, he did utter the word “sacrifice” at least twice. He also commended Aldridge for “fighting for something bigger than yourself.” Kyrie Irving has been fighting his own battle with regard to his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, it has put his team in quite a predicament with the Nets not having one of their best players available.
Durant himself does not seem to be overjoyed with Irving's recent action. He hasn't exactly been very vocal about his support for Irving and his anti-vax stance. All we know is that KD (and James Harden) were well aware of the Nets' decision to exile Kyrie before they made the announcement public. It's not impossible to think that the Nets brass asked for Durant's and Harden's blessing before telling Kyrie that he couldn't join the team unless he's a “full participant.”
At the end of the day, it could very much be possible that we're reading too much into this. However, what cannot be denied is that Kyrie Irving's firm stance on remaining unvaccinated has put Brooklyn's title hopes in jeopardy. This speaks volumes of how important Kyrie is for the Nets as well as how outstanding he is as a basketball player. However, it is also clear that his personal decisions off the court have had an adverse effect not only on his own career but also on that of his Brooklyn teammates.