Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving will reportedly be out indefinitely after re-aggravating his right shoulder injury over All-Star break. According to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Irving is still experiencing pain in his shoulder and is expected to see another specialist for the injury later this week. Brooklyn plays their first game back from the All-Star break this Thursday against the 76ers.
“His shoulder continues to bother him. That’s about the extent of it now,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told ESPN. “The shoulder is a tough thing. I just think it was an on and off thing where it’s bothering you. Some days you feel good, some days you don’t feel good. But I think it got to the point it was, ‘Hey let’s see another specialist.'”
It’s been a disappointing season for Kyrie Irving and his Brooklyn Nets, even when considering Kevin Durant was slated to miss the entire campaign with a torn Achilles. After a successful 2018-19 campaign, The Nets have a noticeably worse record this season even with their offseason additions of Irving, Durant and DeAndre Jordan.
Even though their on-court production hasn’t been up to par, injuries have crippled any chance for Brooklyn to contend this season. Irving has already missed 26 games this season with his shoulder injury while there is still no timetable for Durant to return from his Achilles rupture.
The Nets are still in playoff position with a 25-28 record but Irving’s string of injuries this season has to be concerning. When active, Irving has been stellar though he’s only been available for 20 games this season. Prior to joining the Nets last summer, Irving had missed 37 games over the past two seasons with the Boston Celtics.
Though Atkinson wouldn’t commit to shutting Irving down for the rest of the season, it may be a real possibility given their underwhelming record. The Nets could look very different this time next year if both Durant and Irving can manage to stay healthy.
