Kyrie Irving had the chance to play alongside two of the greatest players of all time, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, but he has just recognized that he was not necessarily comfortable with it every day. A rather surprising finding on his part.
Kyrie Irving will undoubtedly be one of the most pressured players next season. Indeed, after a tumultuous last year and a summer that was just as tumultuous, the Nets leader will have to show that he is reliable and capable of playing at a very high level over 82 games. Largely responsible for the failures of Brooklyn with his refusal to be vaccinated, he will have to make amends with the fans.
The good news is that he should play in an exceptional group, the defenses will not be able to focus only on him, so he will have plenty of time to attack the basket. Ben Simmons will know how to find him in the right tempo, when the threats Joe Harris and Seth Curry should open a royal road to him to the circle. At 30, he could actually have one of the best seasons of his life.
Kyrie Irving not comfortable alongside LeBron and KD!
It remains to be seen whether he will be able to flourish in the role of luxury lieutenant of Kevin Durantas he had been able to do at times with LeBron James at the Cavaliers. Because in the last episode of “The Shop”, the show produced by the King, Uncle Drew made it clear that he was not always good in his sneakers alongside such players. A surprising testimony:
Kyrie on Uninterrupted ????
(h/t @NetsKingdomAJ )
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) August 30, 2022
I played with LeBron and I played with KD, in our culture they are true icons. With them I had to play a role in which I was not comfortable.
This message from Kyrie Irving is straightforward, but it can have several meanings depending on the meaning that one gives to his “role”. For example, and this would be surprising, he might be uncomfortable in the role of lieutenant. Indeed, he must be at his best level at all times, knowing that he will not take all the shots he wants. It was to emancipate himself from this status that he went to Boston…
But most likely, he’s talking about his role in the careers of LeBron and KD, two players who are more or less high in the Top 15 all-time. Indeed, Kyrie, a simple basketball player, has a major role to play in the legend of these two monsters, and therefore in the history of the league. Thanks to him, the Nets’ No. 7 could get closer to the best of all time, which must add enormous additional pressure.
Kyrie Irving is not necessarily very comfortable in his role in cremoved from LeBron James and Kevin Durant, and it’s very honest to recognize it. Many would dream of being in his place, but it is very difficult to imagine the pressure he feels on a daily basis.
