On January 6, Beijing time, the Nets played against the Pacers, and Irving will usher in his season debut. Before the game, Nash unveiled Irving's debut use plan, and he will give Irving a lot of playing time, if not as much as 38 minutes.
Nash said: "I don't think it's time for him to play 38 minutes, but I think he can still get a lot of playing time in the game. He's been in 3-4 days of 5-on-5 training and I think he has the ability to play a little more time, just not necessarily to play the 30+ minutes he's familiar with. Last season, Irving played in 54 games for the Nets, averaging 34.9 minutes per game.
As for Irving's role after returning to the team, Nash also responded. Irving can only play away games at the moment, so the Nets' rotation will adjust as the home and away changes. "Yes, we're open to everything, we can put him on the bench or we can let him start. I think he's also open to both, and the problem is that we have to look at the short, medium and long term to see what works for us. Before the game against the Pacers, Irving played 582 regular season games and 70 playoff games in his career, all of which were starting games.
Irving has been absent for a long time, and his last NBA appearance was in his fourth game of the Series against the Bucks last June, when he didn't play again after injuring his ankle.
"I'm sure it could be a little bit nervous to play in the middle of the season," Nash said, "but actually, he looks very excited, happy to be back, and the enthusiasm is high." Centre forward Aldridge also said Irving looked in good shape: "He's a very talented player, good teammates, I played with him for a while last season and it's great he's back. ”
The Nets also posted a picture of everyone getting together to cheer up after today's training, and Irving was also among them. The official social media caption reads: "Family (love emoticons). "The Nets are currently suffering from three consecutive losses, and can the Nets, which are a combination of the big three, end the losing streak today? Let's wait and see.