Getty Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry on the court at Chase Center during a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving only played 29 games last season because he was unvaccinated against COVID, which prevented him from playing home games. It was a stain that followed the Nets all season as it led to them being a lower seed in the playoffs and thus suffering an early playoff exit.
This season there is no vaccine mandate, which means Irving will be a full-time player from start to finish. And with Ben Simmons and Kevin Durant as his co-stars, there is no telling what heights the Nets star can reach. Kyrie’s teammate, Nets starting center Nic Claxton, believes he could dethrone Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and win this year’s NBA Finals MVP award.
“That’s big for us having him full-time and not having to worry about the COVID stuff. This whole situation over the offseason. Honestly, he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. That might not be the public perception of him, but he just wants to clear the air I feel like,” Claxton said to reporters ahead of the Nets season opener via NetsDaily.
“I think he can be the MVP; he can be the Finals MVP; he can do whatever he wants to do. He puts his mind to it; he can do it.”
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Kevin Durant Talks Kyrie Irving Impact
Irving’s decision to sit on the sideline last season after his vaccine refusal caused many people to label him a bad teammate. Especially because he was the only Nets player that chose to remain unvaccinated. But despite what people infer from the outside looking in, Durant says Irving has been a model teammate thus far. And he knows the Nets will need his championship experience to go deep into this year’s playoffs
“Kai is amazing, talking to everybody, communicating, being one of the heads of the snake on both ends of the floor for us,” Durant told reporters on Monday via NetsDaily.
“And we need that talk from everybody, the veteran guys, we need to continue to be in constant communication so we can figure things out on the court. Having a guy like Kai – who’s won a championship, who’s been in those locker rooms and those series – is only going to help us moving forward.”
Stephen A. Smith Picks Kyrie as Top MVP Candidate
Despite being one of the most irreplaceable talents in the NBA, Irving finds himself in a precarious predicament entering the 2022-23 season. He and the Nets did not agree to a new contract during the offseason. As a result, he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
This is partially because Kyrie has not had reliable availability. In his three seasons with the Nets, he has yet to play an 82-game season. Even beyond his Nets tenure, he has not played a full season since he entered the league in 2011 and has not eclipsed the 60-game mark since the 2017-18 season during his first year with the Celtics.
Irving, despite his talent, will have to reprove his worth around the league in a contract year. It is one of the reasons Stephen A. Smith believes he will be a top MVP candidate.
“I got Kyrie Irving as one of my top league MVP candidates. I think Kyrie Irving’s [going to] put on a show this year. Everybody better brace themselves. Because the brother playing for a new contract. It matters. 200 million-plus dollars matters,” Smith said during a recent airing of “ESPN First Take”.
“I believe that that’s what he’s going to have to do to get the money. In the process of balling’, he’s got to convince folks that he’s going to show up to work, which I believe he will. Past is the past. I’m looking forward. I’ve got Kyrie Irving as a league MVP candidate.”
Kyrie has a lot to prove in what could be his final season with the Brooklyn Nets.