"Durant lobbied to scrap the organization's stance" - Reports reveals Kevin Durant made Brooklyn Nets change their stance to get Kyrie Irving on the team
NBA and Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving has teammate Kevin Durant to thank in terms of his eligibility to play in the league at the moment.
According to Jake Fischer of The Bleacher Report, Kevin Durant "lobbied" to have the Nets' organization change their stance on Irving, allowing him to participate in road games for the team this season.
"Kyrie Irving only returned to Brooklyn's road lineups after Durant lobbied to scrap the organization's stance that, to play, Irving needed to comply with New York City's coronavirus vaccination requirements, sources told B/R."
Because of the Covid-19 vaccination mandate in the borough of Brooklyn, Irving was unavailable to suit up for home games. With his strong views against getting the Covid-19 vaccination, Irving did not feature for the Nets this season. That was, of course, until the 5th of January this year, when he finally made his season debut on the road against the Indiana Pacers.
Now with Harden gone, the onus falls squarely on Irving, Durant and new acquisition Ben Simmons to bring an NBA championship to Brooklyn.
How important is Kyrie Irving to Kevin Durant and the Nets?
With the return of Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets will have three bonafide superstars after the acquisition of Simmons and should have their offense firing on all cylinders.
The Nets made it to last season's Eastern Conference semifinals, where they lost to the the eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. It gave a very real indication of the potential threat that Irving and Kevin Durant carried for the Nets along with James Harden. The Bucks did not stand a chance with all three on the floor and needed Kyrie Irving to go down with an ankle injury and for Harden to be hampered by hamstring issues to prevail in that series.
For the Nets' home games, one can assume that Simmons will be the quintessential point guard, so he can orchestrate the offense for the Nets. When it comes time for Irving and Simmons to play together, the former will take up the off-guard position and focus on putting the ball in the net while the latter acts as a facilitator.
The Nets overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the Pacers, tied for their largest comeback this season.
In Kyrie Irving's return, Brooklyn's Big 3 scored or assisted on 58 of the team's 69 points in the 2nd half (84%).
That's more than the Pacers scored total in 2nd half (48). https://t.co/9WP7rsavq4
Another piece to the puzzle is Kevin Durant, (who is currently sidelined with an MCL sprain) once he returns the Nets will have a new-look "Big 3" and will hope to mount a strong postseason push. With Simmons still expected to take some time to find his feet in Brooklyn, Irving will be the player Durant and the Nets look to during this transition period to steady the ship.
Defense, chemistry and Irving's availability for home games are all questions that will continue to persist for the Nets. But having Irving available, at least for away games and bringing in a bonafide defender in Simmons, takes the Nets from contender status to potential favorites.