Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving hasn’t played since Nov. 14 due to a right shoulder impingement.
Irving says his injury has been “disheartening.”
Kyrie Irving; “It just sucks man. It really is disheartening.” Went to Phoenix to see a shoulder specialist. #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) January 4, 2020
Irving has appeared in just 11 games this season for the Nets. He's averaging 28.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 34.1 percent from beyond the arc and 93.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Irving has not been cleared for contact yet and no timetable has been announced for his return. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson has said multiple times that shoulder injuries are very tricky to deal with.
After playing for the Boston Celtics the past two seasons, Irving signed a four-year, $136.5 million deal with the Nets in free agency this past summer. He and Kevin Durant took less than the max so the Nets could sign DeAndre Jordan as well.
Irving and Durant converted a chunk of their salaries into performance-based bonuses to create room for Jordan, but Irving is going to miss out on his share due to his shoulder injury. According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, Irving will miss out on two bonuses of $125,000 for falling short of playing 60 games this season for the Nets.
Kyrie Irving will now miss out on two bonuses of $125K each for falling short of playing 60 games this season. The games played bonus were tied into statistical achievements. This will bring the total up to $375K in lost incentives for the season.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) January 3, 2020
Nets fans can’t wait to get Irving back in the lineup, but it’s clear the team is going to be cautious with his injury.
Brooklyn is 16-17 on the season, seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.
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