NBA News: Nets' Kyrie Irving Set to Return This Week

The Brooklyn Nets have gotten off to an ideal start to the 2021-2022 NBA season despite dealing with many obstacles. Although the Chicago Bulls just surpassed them for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, Brooklyn still stands strong with a 23-11 record just one game behind first place.

Now, the Nets will get even stronger as their team gets healthier and a key member of their roster makes his debut for the 2021-2022 NBA season.

Before the season got started, the Nets were unsure of whether their starting point guard Kyrie Irving was going to play or not. As the Nets navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic, the laws in New York prevented Irving from playing with the team at home since he was unvaccinated. 

At first, it seemed Irving would become a part-time player for the Nets. As he was technically allowed to play in road games, Brooklyn was trending towards having Irving available for road games but sitting out while at home. However, the Nets made the shocking decision to shut Irving down until he became eligible to play. 

"We have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant," said Nets General Manager Sean Marks in October. "Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose."

While Brooklyn kept up with their decision for the first couple of months, they have decided to reverse their process. On December 17, the Nets allowed Irving to re-join the team as they dealt with a handful of setbacks. 

"After discussions with our coaches, players, and staff, the organization has decided to have Kyrie Irving re-join the team for games and practices in which he is eligible to participate. We arrived at this decision with the full support of our players and after careful consideration of our current circumstances, including players missing games due to injuries and health and safety protocols. We believe that the addition of Kyrie will not only make us a better team but allow us to more optimally balance the physical demand on the entire roster. We look forward to Kyrie's return to the lineup, as well as getting our entire roster back together on the court."

When is the Return?

At this point, Irving's reunion with the Nets hasn't been completed. As the star guard was ramping up action over the last couple of weeks, he landed in a tough situation as he was entered into the NBA's health and safety protocol.

Last week, Irving was finally cleared for action. And this week, he'll make his official return, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

After missing the first 35 games of Brooklyn's 2021-2022 run, Kyrie Irving is set to make his season debut against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. As expected, his return comes when the Nets hit the road for the first time this week. 

While it might take some time for Irving to get fully reacclimated with his teammates, the Brooklyn Nets will only get stronger as Irving's presence surely gives them a boost.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.