The Brooklyn Nets (2-3) will take on the struggling Indiana Pacers (1-4). Kevin Durant and James Harden will be on a backlash victory after losing 93-106 to the Heat on Thursday. But nothing is more important than Owen and his vaccination status.
Nash spoke ahead of the Pacers game about the challenges his team faces on offense and mentioned Irving.
The Nets coach said: "It's a process for us, we lost Irving, the players are training hard and there are 10 new players. It's not the same. I think there's a time to learn how to play together. Learn how to score effectively. It's a process that takes some time. So it can't be compared to the previous look in many ways. ”
The Nets scored just 93 points against the Heat, which was clearly visible in his mind.
Earlier in the day, Nets president Tsai Chongxin said of Irving that he hoped Irving would eventually change his mind, and sooner.
Tsai told ESPN he wanted Carey to "get vaccinated as soon as possible" and that they hadn't spoken since the Nets decided to move on before he was vaccinated, hoping that Carey would remain part of the Nets' long-term presence and how protesters "hijacked the issue." ”
Nash was asked if he had any interactions with the seven-time All-Star and if he knew if Irving would change his stance one day. Nash said: "I've sent him a letter that we don't talk about basketball. Just got in touch with him. But I don't have the latest news on that. We didn't talk about basketball, we just went to see him. ”
Meanwhile, the Nets will focus on what they can control. In the last game, their rebounding count was 62-42. They handed over 17 offensive rebounds. The head coach called the glass that could not be cleaned the "Achilles heel" in Brooklyn.
Irving's absence affected the team in many ways. As Nash suggested, getting 10 new players on the same page in a short period of time is a daunting task. Harden recently noted that they don't even have much time to practice. "We don't have real practice representation," bearded said. "So I just wanted to figure that out over the course of the game."
If anything about the first five games of the year, it's that some of the Nets' predictable problems (like the team's defense and rebounding) have become more serious in Irving's absence. At least he was, and these questions were less important.