The last time we saw Kyrie Irving on a field, it was last November 1st. Brooklyn had just lost to the Bulls, and the team had a poor record: 2 wins for 6 losses. The next day, Irving is suspended for at least five matches, and it is this evening, for the reception of Memphis, that he will find the grounds.
In his absence, Jacque Vaughn became the head coach, and above all the Nets won five games out of eight with a found defense. At the time Irving was suspended, Brooklyn had the worst defense in the NBA with 118.3 points conceded on 100 possessions. Since his suspension, the team now collects 106.3 points on 100 possessions, and it is quite simply the second best defensive record!
“It is clear that there is a dose of uncertainty” Vaughn acknowledges. “My approach to things is that the train is going to keep moving forward, and that train is based on giving it your all, playing together, being a team, and it’s going to keep going. It will be up to me to ensure that our group includes everyone. But the train will continue to move forward. »
“We play a different basketball from the one we played the last time he played”
Undisputed holder, Irving will find a more defensive formation where Ben Simmons has become 6th man. In his absence, elements have grown in scope and it is up to him not to upset this balance.
“We play a different basketball from the one we played the last time he played,” Durant points out. “I know the coach is eager to add a new weapon to our attack. He has some amazing systems in place for us, and I know he has other things up his sleeve for Kyrie. »
Among the novelties, there is the team’s ability to play “small ball” and Irving should expect to be asked new things.
“I think that for this group, we have to continue like this”warns Vaughn. “It shows in our five, we play ‘small ball’. We had Kevin (Durant), we had Yuta (Watanabe), we had Markieff (Morris) as a pivot at times. To play like that, you have to hang on and realize that it won’t always be a pretty sight. But it’s the results that count. »
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Fte | Pts |
| Kevin Durant | 16 | 36.7 | 52.9 | 34.7 | 91.3 | 0.4 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 5.2 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 30.6 |
| Kyrie Irving | 8 | 38.7 | 45.3 | 28.0 | 92.7 | 0.8 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 26.9 |
| Nicolas Claxton | 16 | 26.7 | 71.2 | 0.0 | 38.1 | 2.6 | 5.7 | 8.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 11.5 |
| Royce O’neale | 16 | 35.6 | 36.8 | 39.1 | 71.4 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 9.9 |
| Cam Thomas | 11 | 18.4 | 38.7 | 35.3 | 84.2 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 8.7 |
| Seth Curry | 7 | 21.1 | 39.2 | 38.7 | 85.7 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 8.3 |
| Joe Harris | 14 | 26.6 | 39.6 | 35.2 | 57.1 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 8.1 |
| Edmond Sumner | 14 | 16.8 | 42.9 | 29.4 | 96.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 8.0 |
| Yuta Watanabe | 13 | 17.7 | 60.0 | 55.6 | 66.7 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 7.5 |
| Ben Simmons | 11 | 27.1 | 53.4 | 0.0 | 52.4 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 5.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 6.6 |
| Patty Mills | 16 | 11.7 | 41.3 | 38.8 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 5.1 |
| David Duke | 9 | 10.1 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 3.7 |
| Day’ron Sharpe | 11 | 9.2 | 44.0 | 50.0 | 66.7 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.8 |
| Markieff Morris | 8 | 9.6 | 31.8 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 2.5 |
| Kessler Edwards | 7 | 4.0 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 50.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
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