Kyrie Irving recently expressed he wants to do more than bring Brooklyn a title. He also wants to develop a winning culture that is so strong it outlasts his playing days.
Of course, the Nets took major steps toward becoming a title contender when they signed Irving and Kevin Durant over the summer. While the full benefits of having Durant aren’t expected to be realized until 2020-21, any team would be more than happy to have the superstar forward waiting to get in the action.
But superstar players still need a supporting cast.
One would’ve thought the Nets had a solid one, given Irving and Durant chose to play in Brooklyn and also brought DeAndre Jordan, Garrett Temple and Wilson Chandler with them.
But, apparently, those five players — along with Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert — aren’t enough. Not in Irving’s eyes at least.
Following Wednesday’s loss, the Nets point guard addressed the matter with reporters in Philadelphia, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:
I mean, it’s transparent. It’s out there. It’s glaring, in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be at that next level. I’m going to continue to reiterate it. We’re going to do the best with the guys that we have in our locker room now, and we’ll worry about all the other stuff, in terms of moving pieces and everything else, as an organization down the line in the summer. It’s just something that we signed up for.
Irving continued:
We knew what we were coming into at the beginning of this season. Guys were going down left and right. GT (Temple) is out, DJ (Jordan) just got hurt (Wednesday), Wilson is coming back (off his suspension). We’ve got complimentary young guys, as well, that have done a great job the last three years. Collectively, I feel like we have great pieces, but it’s pretty glaring we need one more piece or two more pieces that will compliment myself, KD (Durant), DJ, GT, Spence (Dinwiddie), Caris, and we’ll see how that evolves.
No mention of Joe Harris, Taurean Prince or Jarrett Allen.
Irving could be right, sure. But speaking that bluntly about his current teammates in a public setting is not something that’s worked well for him in the past.
So whether Nets fans are concerned about Brooklyn’s chemistry or how the team is built, Irving’s remarks are unsettling.