Before I knew it, half a season had passed, and Irving had finally ushered in the second game of the season. In his debut, Irving cut 22 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists to help the team win over the Pacers, and in today's game, Irving scored 22 points and 8 rebounds on 9-of-21 shooting, but this time he failed to help the team win. One can't help but wonder: Is Irving's mid-season comeback really a good thing for the Nets?
In the two games since his comeback, Irving averaged 22 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4 assists per game, but his three-point shooting rate was only 30%, and as a point guard, he averaged only 4 assists per game, even Durant (5.8 per game) was not as good, it is indeed a bit unspeakable. It's understandable to say that Irving is trying to get himself to offense, but if he abandons the organizational responsibility he should have taken on, this is really not the result that the Nets want.
From the moment Harden chose to join the Nets last season, Irving's identity changed from a ball carrier to a shooting guard. At that time, fans believed that the Nets would have infighting over the distribution of the ball, which eventually led to the players being unhappy and dispersed, but this was not the case, last season the Nets performed smoothly on the offensive end, the players performed their duties, if not the damn injury, maybe the Nets crowd had already lifted the O'Brien Cup.
This season, the Nets sent Off Jeff Green, but signed Patty Mills and Paul Millsap, as well as several very promising rookies, plus Aldridge's comeback, which allowed the Nets' reputation to peak in a time. Although Irving has refused to be vaccinated and unable to play, Nash has won 23 games with the lack of Irving's Nets.
Irving's return is an unknown factor for the Nets, he can't play all games, all he can play is away from home. This means that the Nets will constantly change the lineup to cater to Irving, in other words, with Irving's return, the Nets' lineup will also become unstable, nash also need to consider Irving's factor, which may lead to the team's original chemistry become a mess. Former NBA player Eddie A-Johnson tweeted after today's Nets game with the Trail Blazers and said: "The Nets will go through a difficult process and then understand that it is impossible to break out of the East playing AAU-style basketball. Second, healthy part-time players disrupt the team's chemistry. Yes, that's it. ”
Irving has not appeared in the NBA with Durant and Harden for half a season, and although the three players have worked well last season, the Nets this season are very different from the Nets last season. Players like Mills, Thomas, Sharp, and Bembry who haven't played against Irving, if they appear on the field with Irving, it will inevitably cause them to be a little confused. This is often referred to as chemistry, and Irving's addition disrupts the original order of the team, making the team need to re-undergo a chemical reaction to adapt to Irving.
It is undeniable that Irving's return has indeed relieved Harden and Durant of a lot of burdens, but the team still needs time to grind into the lineup with Irving. At least not entirely certainty of the impact of Irving's return on the team is positive, and it will take a while for the team to grind before a conclusion can be made. This again presents Nash with a conundrum, how can Irving quickly integrate into the team?