Brooklyn Nets Training Camp: Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant Countdown Almost Done

12/11/2020 Philippines



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It’s like the longest Christmas Eve in history. It was in July 2019 that Nets fans discovered that Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan were heading to Brooklyn. But they were going to have to wait a while to see them on the court together, and then the outbreak of a global pandemic reversed everything about life as we know it, pushing that timeline further.

Well, the wait is over, perhaps on Sunday when the Brooklyn Nets take to the court for their first preseason game of the 2020-21 season, facing the Washington Wizards at the Barclays Center.

“I’m really excited for those guys to get back on the court,” Jordan said of Irving and Durant. “But I know they’re dying to get back on the court, man. They are competitors. Those guys are super slick and cool and smart when it comes to schematics and watching the plays unfold on both ends of the court and those guys are our leaders to a degree and we want to be able to follow what they’re doing and come back. throughout this season. “

This will be Durant’s first live NBA action display since sustaining an Achilles tendon injury during the NBA Finals on June 10, 2019.

“I don’t know, I guess it’s from a minute standpoint, seeing how long I can play now,” Durant said after Wednesday’s practice, looking ahead to Sunday’s game. “And I’m talking to the coaching staff and the coaching staff to see what my burden will be for this first preseason game. But when it comes to the schemes and how I fit in on offense and defense, I think the coach will use me in various ways, especially as a small five and four ball at times and also picking up the ball, so I have only got to be ready for anything. But when it comes to minutes, I’m just looking forward to seeing how my body responds and how we respond as a team in my first game.

“Kevin has done everything you could have asked to put himself in this position,” Nets head coach Steve Nash said. “He is truly a gift to all of us, not only with his talent, but with his love of the game and the joy he brings to the building every day. Maybe we have to protect him from himself in some way because he brings so much joy and passion to the sport. He’s so anxious and hungry after a long break in his prime. But he’s done all the hard work and he’s put himself in this position and now we have to make sure it’s a sustainable fit and that he can stay the course and play long term. “

While Durant missed the entirety of the 2019-20 season, Irving was limited to 20 games with a shoulder injury. Initially out of the game in November after 11 games, he returned in January before injuring his knee on February 1 and ultimately opted for shoulder surgery.

Although brief, the show was spectacular. Irving scored a pair of 50-point games in his inaugural Nets season and scored at a career-high 27.4 points per game rate.

During the extended offseason, Durant and Irving’s training regimen drew their teammates to their pickup games in California, and the team has been back to work in Brooklyn for two weeks.

So while everyone else is waiting to see what the pair looks like, not just in their debut, but as the season progresses, criticism is yet to come to those who have seen them up close.

“I think they looked like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving,” Jordan said. “I think they looked exactly like themselves. There are no favors or tiptoeing around things. Those guys are going really hard and it’s good to see. Good to see Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back on the court. I’ll say that. “

As a two-way player last season, point guard Chris Chiozza was a regular part of the extra work segments of practice that Durant would be a part of as he continued to work his way back.

“Now you can say that he is not afraid to make contact and make whatever movement he wants,” Chiozza said. “Additional work team, he was still coming back and we weren’t sure how healthy he was and he was trying to figure out the contact and how physical to be with him. Now you can say it’s back. You are creating the contact now. You are doing what you want to do. He looks like himself. “

“I think Kevin is back where he was, and I think everyone will see it,” Caris LeVert said. “And I’m excited for him, I’m excited for everyone to get him back because, honestly, the game wasn’t the same without him. So I know he’s super excited to play again, and then Ky too. I think they both see a level of focus, and they are both super locked in, ready to go. I trained with Ky closely the last few months and, like I said, he’s been super locked in. Her body looks great too. His movements look great. He looks extremely healthy so I can’t wait to hang out with those guys. “

So the consensus among his teammates is that Durant and Irving look great and, more significantly, they just look like Durant and Irving. The other piece everyone is waiting to see is how they look together and what that means for the Nets.

“They are two of the best offensive players that have been in this game since they are in the league, and that has not changed. The way they looked today was crystal clear, ”Joe Harris said after the team’s initial group practice on Sunday. “Like I said, the (most important) part of this offseason was that they bounced back, and they definitely are. They look great and put a lot of pressure on the defense because of how talented they are and how they can exploit their individual matchups. But they are also smart and intoxicating players. They make the right decisions, they make the right plays and that’s good for guys like me.

“The way they play with each other is a gift,” Nash said. “Both incredibly skilled, talented, both can score, make plays and also smart. They will be a great association out there and they will be a great association for other guys on the team because of … how diverse their skills are and how many things they can do with him. ball and how they improve the people around them. And we are fortunate to have two players of that caliber. “



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