Kyrie Irving on Nets Not Allowing Him to Be a Part-Time Player: “I Understood Their Decision, I Respected It”

Published 12/29/2021, 11:09 PM EST

The Brooklyn Nets are in a great spot right now. Kevin Durant is making his return after being in the health and safety protocols. Moreover, Kyrie Irving is also joining the team after being kept off for the season till now. While speaking to the media, Irving said he understood the Nets’ decision to not allow him to stay with the team.

Recently, with the health and safety protocols in place, the Nets took a big step. They allowed Kyrie back into the team as a part-time player. With the current situation, Irving is still unable to play any home games or games in New York. However, now that he is clear from the protocols, he can take part in away games.

While this could have taken place earlier, Irving spoke about it and said he understood the Nets’ prior decision to keep him off the team.

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Kyrie Irving understands the Nets’ decision

The situation with Irving has been the talk for a long time. With him not following the norms of the league, the Nets were facing a tough situation. They took a hard call and did not allow Irving to travel with the team. While it wouldn’t look good to most players, Kyrie understood the situation and said he completely supported their call.

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He said: “I understood their decision, I respected it. I really had to sit back and think and try not to become too emotionally attached to what they were deciding to do. Its just that I had to sit down and really evaluate things and see it from their perspective meaning the organisation and my teammates.”

Kyrie continued, “I knew the consequences. I wasn’t prepared for them by any stretch of the imagination.”

Kyrie Irving says he understands the Nets' initial decision not to allow him to be with the team as a part-time player:
"I knew the consequences. I wasn't prepared for them by any stretch of the imagination." pic.twitter.com/osDMavUdwT
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) December 29, 2021

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Brooklyn Nets were sure in a tough spot at the time. Letting go of one of their biggest players is not easy. However, with other players at risk, the team made the right call. For them, it worked well with Durant playing some of the best basketball of his career.

Now, they are major threats to the throne with the return of Kyrie Irving. Not only does he take the load off Durant, but he also gives them a huge scoring boost. Irving was the top scorer for them last season and he will hope to make a similar impact on his return. His crafty finishing and the deep bag will take the Nets’ scoring power to a whole new level.

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Are you excited to see Kyrie return? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.

Kyrie Irving on Nets Not Allowing Him to Be a Part-Time Player: “I Understood Their Decision, I Respected It”

Kyrie Irving understands the Nets’ decision

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