“The summer is gonna be about them, the fall is gonna be about them, and maybe even next spring” - NBA analyst says Kyrie Irving and James Harden have to deliver next season after getting what they want
Kyrie Irving was out for the majority of the 2021-22 NBA season. He was out for almost two-thirds of the season and did not feature for the Brooklyn Nets. His absence was due to his refusal to take the Covid-19 vaccine. He only featured when the New York mayor lifted the vaccine regulations for athletes.
He only partook in 29 games in the season and recorded an average of 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. He was crucial to the team's advancement to the playoffs, but failed to perform in the playoffs, which led to the team's early exit.
He has been selected by NBA Insider, Brian Windhorst, as one of the players with a lot to prove in the upcoming season. Windhorst also highlighted James Harden as another player who has to step it up in the 2022-23 NBA season. He shared that both players might not get long-term contracts as their teams are not convinced about how effective their input to their individual teams will be.
"I think there's two guys, and they're linked and they've got similar situations," Windhorst started. "This is James Harden and Kyrie Irving. I'm not convinced that either of them are going to sign long-term contracts and maybe not both. They both might end up playing on one-year deals, their player options, because both teams aren't really sure what they're going to get out of them."
Brian Windhorst believes James Harden and Kyrie Irving will have to deliver during the 2022-23 NBA season
James Harden left the Brooklyn Nets side in a controversial trade that saw him move to the Philadephia 76ers. Since his time with the 76ers, the 3-time NBA All-Star has underperformed. He has recorded his worst scoring average since his third season in the league.
He averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in the regular season, and 18.6 points, 8.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds in the postseason. He has not lived up to the expectations surrounding his recruitment.
James Harden in the 2022 playoffs:
18.4 PPG
37.3% FG https://t.co/hbRwJuXTDM
Brian Windhorst stated that neither Kyrie Irving nor Harden delivered for their teams. He said that, even if they signed a long-term contracts, they would both be highly pressured.
"So not only do they have contractual concerns possibly, but even if they do sign big contracts, they're going to be under pressure to deliver," Windhorst stated. "And neither one of them delivered last season even though they got ultimately what they wanted. Harden got what he wanted. Kyrie got what he wanted. Neither of them delivered. To me, the summer is going to be about them, the fall is going to be about them, and maybe next spring."