After missing 26 straight games with a shoulder injury, Kyrie Irving returned to the Nets’ starting lineup on Sunday to face off with the Atlanta Hawks.
This was a little surprising, considering last week there were reports that Irving would undergo shoulder surgery. Ever since his time with the Boston Celtics went off the rails, fans have been very critical and skeptical about Irving as a player and a teammate, and with the Nets still being 7th in the East without him, those criticisms continued, so of course the pressure was on for him in his return.
Irving produced a strong and efficient outing, scoring 21 points on 10-11 shooting in just over 19minutes of playing time in a 22 point win for Brooklyn.With all of the drama in Boston over the last year or so, people seem to forget how great Kyrie is. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the most elite point guards in the league, second to only Stephen Curry in my opinion.
He is an All-Star and one of the most clutch players in league (Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals for example.) It was good to see Irving on the floor and looking healthy, and I really hope the Nets make a good playoff push, despite still being without Kevin Durant, and I hope Irving is at the forefront of it, and playing well.