After Only 14 Games Irving Says He Needs Help in Brooklyn
After falling 117-106 to the Philadelphia 76ers, Kyrie Irving was not pleased about how far the team is from reaching its potential. According to the 6x All-Star the Nets could use some help.
“I mean it’s transparent. It’s out there. It’s glaring in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be at that next level,” said Irving. “Collectively I feel like we have great pieces, but it’s pretty glaring we need one more piece or two more pieces.”
This kind of shook up the basketball world today and you probably heard it on every sports show you saw. There’s a good reason for that too.
It seems a bit out of place given the context that this was said in.
Who said this? Irving, who was just in his third game back after missing 26 straight games due to a shoulder impingement.
When was it said? After losing a game against the talented 76ers whom they led for the majority of the contest.
Why was it said? That’s the most confusing part. Although Kevin Durant will most likely sit out this whole season due to his Achilles injury that he suffered in last year’s NBA Finals, he’s still on the team. Between him and Irving they have three NBA championships, 16 All-Star appearances and nine All-NBA team selections.
Therefore we don’t what this team’s true ceiling is until they’re fully healthy and at maximum strength.
The Nets obviously aren’t where they thought they’d be (even considering how it was known that KD would sit out this year) but all things considered though they aren’t doing too badly. They’ve been a playoff team for a good portion of this season; they’ve been in the top five in rebounding; they’ve been one of the better in-the-paint scoring teams. Lastly, Brooklyn has the 12th ranked defense in the league.
All that’s even more impressive when you think about how inconsistent the lineup has been for the Nets this season. Because of injuries and suspensions Brooklyn has used 20 different lineups already and we’re nearly halfway done with the season at 40 games in. Their 41st game is against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Instead of worrying about adding more pieces the Nets should focus on game planning because they’ll have their hands full trying to stop MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo and the surging Bucks who have the NBA-best record at 37-6.
