While the Brooklyn Nets announced on Tuesday they do not expect forward Kevin Durant returning to the hardwood this upcoming season, fans and spectators have plenty to look forward to with the arrival of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving.
In fact, the 27-year-old Irving has been in the gym “religiously” this offseason, according to Nets general manager Sean Marks (via SB Nation's Anthony Puccio).
Sean Marks: “Kyrie has been [in the gym] religiously.”
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) September 24, 2019
Irving signed a four-year contract with the Nets in free agency, stunning the basketball community by teaming up with Durant and one-time All-Star center DeAndre Jordan in a Brooklyn team that was the laughingstock of the league in the not-too-distant past.
A New Jersey native, Irving left the Boston Celtics after just two mediocre seasons, jumping ship to play for the surging Nets.
Both Durant and Irving have cited winning culture for the draw to Brooklyn, which can be attributed largely to Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson.
Durant is sidelined with a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Without the two-time Finals MVP, the Golden State Warriors lost in six games to Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors — the Canadian team's first title in franchise history.
Irving might have to pick up the slack during Durant's absence. However, it's worth noting he had a difficult time doing exactly that with the young Celtics — Irving was injured for the 2018 playoffs and only mustered a second-round exit in the most recent postseason.
Fortunately for Irving, the Nets have a well-rounded team next to Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris.
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