The Brooklyn Nets were without guard Kyrie Irving on Thursday night, and his absence will be extended to at least one more game. Irving missed out on the Nets’ victory over the Philadelphia 76ers for personal reasons and did not join the team on their flight to Memphis for Friday night’s game against the Grizzlies.
Before Friday’s game, Nets coach Steve Nash told reporters he had talked to Irving, but he preferred to keep the conversation private. Let’s just keep this between us, “Nash said. “It was a personal matter, so let’s keep it personal and respect privacy.” This echoes the sentiment of Caris LeVert, who refused to go into any details, but said after Thursday night’s departure, Irving sent a text message to the team to inform them of his decision.
At this point, Irving’s justification for staying out remains unknown, and it would not be wise to speculate any more. If Irving wants to share his reasoning, he will. After a short trip to Memphis, the Nets will return to Brooklyn for home games against Thunder on Sunday and the Nuggets on Tuesday. It is unclear when he will return to the roster.
The Nets are also without their other star, Kevin Durant, after he was exposed to COVID-19 and quarantined for seven days. Durant, who already had COVID-19 last year, tested negative throughout the process. If that trend continues, Nash expects him to be released and back on the court on Sunday.
When he was on the court this season, Irving was fantastic, averaging 27.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds, while making an initial effort for the club 50/40/90. He is shooting 50.4 percent of the field, 42.6 percent of the 3-point field and 100 percent of the free-throw line.