Kyrie Irving is going to miss the next game for the Brooklyn Nets against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to personal reasons, per Marc Stein of New York Times.

There is rampant speculation that Irving is missing the game because of a confrontation he had with Dennis Schroder during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. After the contest, Irving spoke out about the use of the n-word.

Kyrie Irving is well known for his off-the-court antics and missing games for personal reasons. With that said, this is perhaps another one of those. The Nets guard is likely overcriticized for this and some of the discourse surrounding him can be incredibly toxic. Nonetheless, it is a hard to fathom coincidence that he misses the game after the said incident.

His electric style of play and prowess on the court is likely a major reason for the issues surrounding the discussion of his personal life. If Kyrie was nothing but a role player, there would almost certainly be less discussion about the absences he takes from the Nets. Unfortunately, he is not and is a big part of Brooklyn's so-called Big 3.

With Irving absent and Harden still recovering, the task of carrying the Nets now fall to Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin, who was added to the roster after his buyout with the Detroit Pistons. Steve Nash's squad is looking to bounce back after a poor showing against the Lakers that saw them succumb to a 25-point defeat.