The Brooklyn Nets have seen their share of up and downs through this young season, quickly finding themselves battling to stay in the playoff picture. While they've gotten off to a less-than-desirable 3-4 start to the season, Kyrie Irving is hoping this upcoming five-game road trip will help him build stronger bonds with his teammates and improve the camaraderie on and off the locker room.
“Five teams that are pretty good in our league,” said Irving, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “A great test to go on the road trip for that long. Obviously there’s nothing like being at home, but that’s really where you come together as a group. You want to come out with a winning record. Take those opportunities to play on other organizations’ floors or going against other good guys in our league.”
The Nets will start with some westward winds, taking on the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, then the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and the Denver Nuggets before coming back East to face the Chicago Bulls next Saturday. They will return to the Barclays Center on Monday, Nov. 18 for a three-game homestand before hitting the road again.
“Some great matchups up ahead,” said Irving. “You just look forward to that challenge, just use the time to build team camaraderie, obviously spending some time in those cities. All we have is each other. We have our significant others sometimes on the trips, but for the most part it’s just us.”
Some of the Nets core remains together, but the additions of Irving, Kevin Durant, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince, and others are still vital to the team's prowess — making the jelling process all the more imperative for a team that hopes to become a threat in the East.
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