Beijing time on October 15, news, the Lucklin Nets have announced that until Kyrie Irving has fully fulfilled the New York area’s epidemic prevention regulations, he will not play or train with the team. This also means that Irving’s future in the Nets is full of doubts. Today, US media reporter Dave Early wrote an article detailing the impact of Irving’s absence on James Harden in two major ways.
When Kevin Durant and Irving first signed with the Nets in the summer of 2019, their plan was to win some championship rings in Brooklyn. However, the Nets are likely to start to realize that Irving is not fully involved in the team after a while. Although he was in good health last January, Irving did not play. The Nets publicly expressed disappointment about this. In the weeks that Irving was absent for no reason, they traded James Harden. Is this a complete coincidence?
Harden’s presence on the team is sometimes like the first vote in the Hall of Fame, just to prevent Irving’s departure. This is not to say that the team will not do anything and everything to bring him in anyway. But if Irving had more opportunities in the days before that sensational movie, would they still be so active? But one thing is certain-Irving is not a player that the Nets can rely on, and his absence is bound to have a big impact on Harden.
First of all, this will cause Harden to play more time and take on more responsibilities. Head coach Steve Nash may take a slow and steady way to arrange Harden’s playing time. The 2018 MVP suffered a hamstring injury last season that hindered his performance in the playoffs. The Nets know very well that their championship hopes depend largely on Harden’s health. If Irving is there, Nash can make his stars stagger the playing time, and can also take load management. During the game, he can also allow each key player to average about 30 minutes per game without making them too tired.
Last season, the Nets didn’t seem to attach importance to home court advantage. They have their Big Three throughout the season, which will make it easier for them to enter the playoffs with good health. They certainly hope to avoid putting too much pressure on Durant and Harden in the regular season, but without Irving, Nash will have to rely more on Harden at the beginning of the Nets season, which will obviously bring more risks. . Harden is one of the most durable players, but due to severe hamstring problems, slowly increasing and limiting his total workload will be a luxury. If the Nets really choose to play very conservatively after Harden returns to the game, they will let Bruce Brown or Patty Mills do something that Irving would do in his sleep.
In addition, if Irving is not there, Harden may put his own symbol on the Nets. Irving is a fickle player. According to reports, he once threatened the Cavaliers to trade him with knee surgery. After joining the Celtics, things didn’t go well. Reporter Ian Begley once hinted in a podcast that some Nets superstars did not want to trade Harden in the first place, and Kevin Durant was not one of them. There is no doubt that Irving did not fully agree when he traded Harden for the Nets.
Irving wants to mess up the situation a bit, but the possibility of Irving leaving the Nets tomorrow summer is not zero. If Irving is not in the starting lineup, Harden will take on more of the responsibility of offensive organizers and leaders, and he will step forward and take on this burden. In addition, Harden is also free to play the 2nd position, and he has always been excellent in Houston. Of course this is just speculation, but the reporter believes that the possibility of Harden eventually signing a long-term contract ranges from “very good” to “great”. Harden can sign a long-term contract with the Nets until October 18, which is not far away. If he does not do this, he will make a major decision next summer. Obviously, what happened to Irving could at least shake him a little. (Morning)Return to Sohu to see more
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