Since Kevin Durant retired, Kyrie Irving has been in charge of the Brooklyn Nest, with mixed results thus far. Despite the fact that the Nets have lost more games than they have won since KD got hurt, Kyrie has displayed flashes of his elite play and has won games solely on the basis of his natural talent on the court.
He admirably led the Nets to beat the Lakers without LeBron James and Anthony Davis tonight, leading the Nets in scoring with 29 points.
Irving spoke about not getting a chance to play against his former championship-winning teammate, LeBron James, on the night. He congratulated James for everything he’s achieved while telling everyone to enjoy the show that the 38-year-old is still putting on, as it won’t last forever. He also expressed the hope that they can play against each other in the future after failing to meet this season.
"[The NBA] gave the keys to the whole entire business to an 18 year old kid and now he's 38 years old and he's still dominating. I don't think we should be surprised. I think we should congratulate him and celebrate him as much as possible."
Kyrie Irving on LeBron James pic.twitter.com/vbX5Uz03Mj
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) January 31, 2023
“To answer your first question, yes I saw this when we played together. His ability to prepare mentally, spiritually, emotionally from game to game or day to day. It’s hard to be LeBron James or any superstar in any entertainment, sport, athletic or business industry because all eyes are on you. But he’s handled it very well. We gave the keys to the whole entire business to an 18 year old kid and now he’s 38 years old and he’s still dominating. I don’t think we should be surprised. I think we should congratulate him and celebrate him as much as possible.”
“Let’s continue to enjoy the show he puts on because it’s not gonna be for too much longer. I am enjoying the show and I hope we get the chance to play against one another. Who knows what can happen down the line?”
The Lakers and Nets won’t face each other again this season, with James and Irving both missing the first encounter between the teams in November. Hopefully, Irving can face off against LeBron next season in a game where Kevin Durant also plays, as we haven’t seen KD and LeBron play against each other since Christmas Day 2018.
Kyrie Irving’s Uncertain Future
Kyrie Irving is bound to be one of the most talked about players at the end of the season, as the Brooklyn Nets have to extend his contract to let him walk into free agency. Irving is awaiting a max contract extension, but the Nets haven’t shown an interest in offering the same to Irving so far. No team is looking to give Irving a contract for more than 2 seasons, given the volatility he’s shown in recent seasons.
The Lakers were expected to be a team that shows interest in Kyrie in free agency, but it seems the trade for Rui Hachimura is going to restrict their open cap space in the summer as they hope to re-sign Hachimura to a long-term deal. Irving’s destinations are slimming down, so it’ll be very interesting to see where he starts the 2023-24 season.
Source: https://fadeawayworld.net
