Kyrie Irving on His Brooklyn Nets’ Return: “Just the Rhythm of the Game I Missed It”

Published 12/29/2021, 9:53 PM EST

The Brooklyn Nets have been great this season. Led by the force of Kevin Durant, they are the best team in the East. However, they are not at their best. With the absence of Kyrie Irving, the Nets have a lot of room to still improve.

Now, the wait is over as Irving is back. He spoke to the media on the first day after his return.

Irving did not play in the NBA season due to a few disagreements. While his decision was a big loss for the Nets, Durant had other plans. The Slim Reaper put the team on his back and took them to the number one seed. With Harden recovering back from injury, they never got a stable scorer. Now they may have one of the craftiest finishers in NBA history.

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While speaking to the media, Irving expressed how he missed being around his teammates.

Kyrie Irving missed basketball

Coming out of the health and safety protocols, Irving came in for practice for the first time this season. He also spoke to the media. Irving spoke about how he feels it’s been really long since he was around his teammates and him missing the flow of the game.

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He said: “Like I said, it’s my first day back around the block with the guys, and it felt like it’s been a long time. It’s only been like three months or so but it felt like the days have been slowly crossed off the calendar while I am sitting down. When I thought about it, last night I could barely sleep. I was like man, I just don’t want to come out and not be who I am to be as a player. Just getting up and down, my heart racing, and just not being nervous touching the basketball again. Just the rhythm of the game I missed it.”

"It's my first day back around the block with the guys, and it felt like it's been a long time"
Kyrie Irving talks about reintegrating himself with the Nets: pic.twitter.com/q4dzFJYlPM
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) December 29, 2021

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Irving continued to say that he just wants to be himself and get back to help the team achieve its goals. The entry of Irving changes a lot of things for the Nets. Before going down last season, Kyrie led them in scoring with 27 points per game. He is an efficient scorer who can heat up in a blink of an eye.

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The one downside remains that he can’t play any games in New York, but the Nets can take that. Getting a crafty scorer like Kyrie Irving is a big boost no matter what and it will help take the load of a returning Kevin Durant.

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Do you think the Nets can win a title with KAI back? 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 His Brooklyn Nets’ Return: “Just the Rhythm of the Game I Missed It”

Kyrie Irving missed basketball

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