Before the 2019-20 season started, Kyrie Irving made sure to let everyone know he did not want Kevin Durant to feel any pressure to get back on the court after what had happened in the 2019 NBA Finals while the forward was with the Golden State Warriors.
Durant continues to progress with the rehab of his right Achilles, while Irving has dealt with two injuries. First, he had a right shoulder impingement, which forced him to miss a career-high 26 games in a row. Now the point guard is dealing with a medial ligament sprain in his right knee that has kept him out of Brooklyn’s last five games.
And now DeAndre Jordan is the one making sure Irving doesn’t rush back, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
He’s itching for sure, man. But we need him healthy, ultimately. We can’t have him come out and be 75%, 80% for us because we’re looking at things down the line, too. We can’t sacrifice him coming out too early and, universe forbid, something happens. We want him to be ready to go whenever he comes back.
Looking toward Brooklyn’s first game after the All-Star break — Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers — Irving’s status remains in question.
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