“He’s one of the few players in the world who tips the entire balance & power of the league with him" - NBA analyst believes Kevin Durant's game will remain unaltered with Kyrie Irving's return
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets are expecting Kyrie Irving's return before the end of the week. They'll add another scorer, but ESPN's Zach Lowe thinks Irving's return won't play a huge role in the team's improvement.
According to NBA insiders Shams Charania, Chris Haynes and Adrian Wojnarowski, Irving is expected to return for Sunday's home game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Including Thursday night's game at the Portland Trail Blazers, the seven-time All-Star has missed eight straight games. The Nets suspended Irving on Nov. 4 after he failed to apologize for a tweet that offended the Jewish community. He issued an apology on Instagram hours after being suspended.
Meanwhile, Durant has been doing all the heavy work for Brooklyn.
ESPN Sources: Suspended All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is nearing completion on the process needed for a return to play and could rejoin the Brooklyn Nets as soon as Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies: es.pn/3X2vRC1
Details at @TheAthletic on the expected reinstatement of Nets seven-time All-Star Kyrie Irving on Sunday — and Irving meeting with several community leaders in the last week-plus: theathletic.com/3908221/2022/1…
Although they've played poorly and lost two games in a row, the Nets have gone 4-3 since Irving's suspension and it's all thanks to KD. However, experts believe that even though Irving could return this week, he still won't change the course of the team. ESPN's Zach Lowe insisted that Durant still holds the keys to the Nets' success this season.
"He’s one of the few players in the world who tips the entire balance and power of the league with him," Lowe said. "I don't know if the Nets will get there this year, if Kevin Durant will get there this year, but it just feels inevitable to me."
With Irving's absence, Durant was left with more responsibility. The 12-time All-Star has averaged 27.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists in the past seven games. Unfortunately for KD, he hasn't had any help outside of Kyrie. His next best help after the star point guard is Nic Claxton, who's averaging only 11.5 ppg, a career best for the fourth-year player.
Irving's return would be huge for the Nets (6-9). For them to bounce back, they'll need everyone on the same page without any further drama.
Also read: Stephen A. Smith asserts Kevin Durant was aware of the issues Kyrie Irving brings to teams as they teamed up for Brooklyn Nets: “You got the drama in Cleveland, you got the drama in Boston”
Can Kevin Durant win the championship with the Nets?
In 2019, when Kevin Durant was traded to the Nets from the Golden State Warriors, he was looking forward to winning a title on his own. It's his fourth year in Brooklyn this season (although he missed a year recovering from an Achilles tendon injury), but he hasn't even reached the conference finals. After a mix of dramas from every angle possible, Durant's stint with the Nets looks crazy.
In recent history, the Nets organization seems to have had the most experience in drama. From Irving's vaccination status to James Harden forcing his way out to coach Steve Nash getting fired, those problems aren't a recipe for any organization to win a title.
It looks like Durant knows that he won't win the Larry O'Brien trophy as a member of the Nets. That's probably why he chose to demand a trade over the summer. But the front office eventually convinced him to stay.
The short answer to the question "Can Durant win a title with the Nets?" is simple: no. As long as they're a disfunctional team, the Nets won't get a chance to have a winning culture.
Also read: "KD's a walking contradiction": Kevin Durant's statements about Steve Nash, leadership questioned by Shannon Sharpe