"I actually Dm'ed and told KD and Kyrie that I could see it all coming together" - Stephen Jackson places his trust in Brooklyn Nets despite their poor form
Kyrie Irving recently helped the Brooklyn Nets to a decisive victory against the Milwaukee Bucks, putting up his best performance of the season. He scored a season-high 38 points in the win, but then went on to miss two back-to-back games against the Toronto Raptors, owing to vaccine mandates at both venues – both games ended in defeat for the Nets.
However, as Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes discussed how the Eastern Conference looks at the moment - in the latest episode of “All The Smoke”, Jackson was bullish on the Nets’ provided Irving is allowed to play both home and away. While mandates keep changing in New York, Stephen Jackson explained what Kyrie's presence means to the Nets, saying:
“I’m happy to see that there’s a great possibility that Kyrie will be back on the court – home and away games. You seen what he means to Brooklyn, they went in to Milwaukee and got a big win – you know, with KD and Simmons not even on the court. You know what I’m saying, and Milwaukee had all their players, they had their whole team.”
At the moment, Kyrie Irving is allowed to be at the games, but not play in them – which is pretty absurd. The Brooklyn Nets (32-31) are eighth in the East and will have a home game against the league leaders – the Miami Heat before Kyrie Irving can return for a three-game road trip.
Steve Nash gives updates for Joe Harris, Kevin Durant & Ben Simmons
KD could return Thursday or Sunday, while Ben Simmons has been ruled out for this week https://t.co/fHPaIQctQ1
Moreover, there is renewed optimism around Kevin Durant's return, which makes the Nets look scary as the regular-season nears its end. The addition of Seth Curry and Andre Drummond, who also played crucial roles in the Bucks match-up, has been a positive reinforcement to the Net’s campaign.
Stephen Jackson can see it all coming together for the Nets, saying:
“I’m pushing for Brooklyn, I actually can get a good view of what this team gonna look like when it all comes together. And if works out where Kyrie is playing in all the games and everybody is healthy back – you gonna see a real dangerous team.
“I actually Dm’ed and told KD and Kyrie that I can see it all coming together.”
The Brooklyn Nets will expect Kyrie to show up in every game he plays
The James Harden trade has left the Brooklyn Nets without a superstar who will be available for all games. With Kevin Durant yet to make a return and Irving available only to play away games, a lot lies on the shoulders of role players.
This moment between Kyrie Irving and his dad ❤️ https://t.co/8vQuxaJAVx
That leaves zero margin of error for Kyrie Irving – whenever he’s available to play. He has played in 15 games this season, averaging 25.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists. In his last five games, Kyrie has been the main guy, playing without Harden and averaging 28 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists.
Although the numbers look good, Kyrie has only been able to secure one win in his last five appearances – against the Bucks. But if Kyrie is available to play both home and away, things might just swing in the favor of the Brooklyn Nets.