To put it gently, Nets all-star Kyrie Irving has a way with words. Irving, who has been known to push the envelope, did just that when he appeared on Kevin Durant’s podcast The ETCs in September. During his appearance, he had some interesting comments on the Nets hiring of Head Coach Steve Nash. “I don’t really see us having a head coach,” Irving said “You know what I mean? KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach.” Irving also added that he felt that coaching was a collaborative effort.
Kyrie Ends His Media ‘Blackout’
On Monday, Kyrie finally ended his media blackout and addressed reporters directly. He addressed everything including his comments on the Nash hiring. “I think I got to take back my comments from a few months ago,” Irving said. The Nash hiring by the Nets came as a surprise to many being that he had no prior head coaching experience and seasoned candidates such as Stephen Silas and Tyronn Lue were still on the market at the time.
Kyrie Irving says after being coached by Steve Nash for a few weeks: “I think I got to take back my comments from a few months ago.”
Irving is referring to saying on a podcast, “I don’t really see us having a head coach.”
Nash Has Been Impressed By Kyrie
Although he has no prior head coaching experience, Nash was a part of the Warriors’ front office as a consultant during their back-to-back title runs in 2017 and 2018 when Kevin Durant was on the roster. So far Nash has been pleasantly surprised by Irving, especially his athleticism. “I don’t remember him being quite as athletic or explosive as he has been,” Nash told reporters during a conference call on Monday. “I knew he was a good athlete for sure but he’s been really impressive in his ability to close distances, create space, exploding into gaps – so he looks incredible and he is fun to watch and fun to coach.”
Kyrie Can Learn A Lot From Head Coach Steve Nash
Although Nash never won any championships as Irving has, he still had quite the career as a player. A back-to-back league MVP with multiple all-star appearances Nash has a lot he can offer Irving in terms of his continued development as a player. “Kyrie is much easier to coach than play against,” Nash said. “He is so gifted, intelligent, creative, and his skill level is off the chart. He is an incredible ball-handler and shot maker as we all know.”
Kyrie, already an NBA champion and multi-time all-star is just scratching the surface at 28 years old. With a hall of fame caliber point guard like Nash coaching him the sky is the limit.
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Kyrie Has Change of Heart on Nash Hiring