Brooklyn Nets All-Star Kyrie Irving will be held out of Friday's preseason opener against SESI/Franca Basketball Club of Brazil as he continues to recover from facial fractures, according to a report from Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
It doesn't sound like Irving's injury is severe, which means he'll likely be good to go for the start of the regular season. However, the Nets will take a cautious approach to his return.
Kyrie Irving doesn’t expect to play Friday. #Nets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) October 1, 2019
The Nets acquired Irving from the Boston Celtics in one of the bigger deals of the offseason. “Uncle Drew,” as he's come to be known, signed a four-year, $141 million contract with Brooklyn.
Irving, who's been wearing a protective face mask in practice, wasn't the only All-Star to join the Nets this summer. In a bit of a surprising move, Kevin Durant decided to leave the Golden State Warriors to join Irving and the Nets, creating what could be one of the more formidable sides in the Eastern Conference.




“I’m just really grateful to be here, that’s as easy as I can put it.” –@KyrieIrving pic.twitter.com/JUmNDf8dib
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 1, 2019
🎥 @KyrieIrving post-practice sound:
“Just to be out here competing with the guys…really enjoying the camaraderie and the competition, having everybody out here raise their level of play…that’s a great thing.” pic.twitter.com/uJupjmSS3f
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 1, 2019
Irving made 67 appearances with the Boston Celtics last regular season (all starts), racking up averages of 23.8 points on 48.7 percent shooting from the field (40.1 percent from beyond the arc), 6.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 33.0 minutes per outing. Without a doubt, he'll be looking to make waves with the Nets in the coming campaign.
The Nets finished the 2018-19 regular season with a 42-40 overall record, which earned the team a No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Unfortunately, though, Brooklyn was defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round, 4-1.