An unideal start to the Brooklyn Nets’ 2019 regular season has become even more of a concern now with multiple key contributors sidelined due to injury. Of course, coming into this season, the Nets already knew they would have to go most of the campaign without Kevin Durant but thumb surgery for Caris LeVert and a shoulder injury for Kyrie Irving has weakened their lineup even further.
Irving’s injury is the latest obstacle for the Nets and while the severity of the injury is still unknown, the flashy point guard’s absence is reportedly expected to continue over the next few contests. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Irving will miss the Nets’ upcoming three-game road trip.
Kyrie Irving will miss next three games, Nets day.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 23, 2019
Nets evaluated Irvings right shoulder tonight and determined he will miss road trip that includes stops in New York, Cleveland and Boston. https://t.co/MafvDmrcyI
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 23, 2019
Kyrie Irving last played for Brooklyn nearly ten days ago in a Nov. 14 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Irving only scored 17 points on 8-20 shooting from the field while also adding nine assists.
The Nets’ offense was already inconsistent earlier in the season without Durant in the mix and now it looks completely different without LeVert and Irving in the lineup. With Durant out of the picture early this season, Irving was forced to take on a volume-scoring role, averaging a team-high 28.5 points per game and 7.2 assists in 11 games.
While much had been made about Irving’s shot selection early this season, his high involvement in the offense shouldn’t come as a surprise especially without a bonafide superstar sidekick. To his credit, Irving is still posting the highest per-game assists average of his nine-year career.
Still, it is noteworthy that the Nets have actually played better without him in the lineup- though against notably inferior opponents. After starting 4-7, the Nets have won three of their past four games, all of which Irving sat out.
Ahead lies a pivotal three-game stretch for Irving and the Nets with matchups against the Celtics, Knicks and Cavs coming up. As long as Irving and LeVert remain sidelined, expect Spencer Dinwiddie to shoulder most of the backcourt production while pieces such as Taurean Prince, Garrett Temple and Joe Harris will continue to receive additional opportunities.
