Both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant missed potential game-winning shots in another tough loss on Sunday Night. The Nets fell 122-123 to the 1-5 Washington Wizards. It is the fifth straight game that the team has given up 100 or more points. While the Nets have looked very average as of late it is way too early in the season to call them a bust. The team has issues that need to be addressed however, Brooklyn’s all-star point guard Kyrie Irving is not at all worried about the Nets’ struggles as of late.
Kyrie Knows The Nets Will Right The Ship
“It’s basketball,” Kyrie said to the media on a zoom call following Sunday’s loss. “I think we just haven’t managed realistic expectations of what we want out of this group right now, every single day, obviously, week-to-week and then month-to-month,” Irving said. Despite the loss, Kyrie had quite the bounce-back game against the Wizards. Irving registered a double-double with 30 points and 10 assists after shooting just 6-21 in the Nets’ previous matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. “We put together a few great months of consistent work and consistent progress, consistent crafting the way, consistent communication, and we’ll be OK.”
Losing Spencer Dinwiddie Was A Huge Blow
The group that the Nets worked with over the summer indeed has a different complexion as they will be without the services of their starting shooting guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Last week the team announced that Dinwiddie would be out for the remainder of the season with a partially torn ACL. Despite there being a huge hole in Brooklyn’s offense following Dinwiddie’s injury, Kyrie and the Nets are taking things one game at a time and know that is the best way to right the ship. “We’re committed to it. I know the guys in the locker room, everyone in this organization is committed to that,” said Kyrie. We want to change this whole thing, and that is not an overnight process. I did not just come here for two years or three years, anything like that. So, I am excited for the journey ahead and for the team to get better. It is as simple as basketball, but the team effort takes a while to get together.”
Turnovers Have Been A Problem For Durant And The Nets
Kevin Durant has continued to shine coming off a torn ACL. KD flirted with a triple-double yet again finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists in the loss. Albeit a great performance, Durant is one of many Nets players who have struggled to take care of the basketball as of late. He has 11 turnovers in his last two games alone. “I just think we’re trying to be aggressive to make plays,” Durant told the media following the loss. “Sometimes we’re a little overzealous, make a pass, and sometimes, you’ve got to find a balance between when to shoot and when to pass, It’s tough when you’re controlling the offense a lot. I can live with two or three, but six of them are too much for me, and I’ve got to just tone it down if we want to be successful.”
The Nets’ schedule does not get any easier as their next two games are against the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers who both made the playoffs last season. If the season ended today the Nets would be out of the playoffs. In a loaded Eastern Conference, falling too far behind now could come back to haunt them in the post-season.
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‘We’ll Be Okay’: Kyrie Not Concerned Despite Nets’ Recent Struggles