The Brooklyn Nets unquestionably had a dream offseason when they signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to long-term deals this summer.
This regular season, though? It’s been a struggle to say the least.
They already knew they weren’t going to get Kevin Durant back this season, but they didn’t expect for Kyrie Irving to be out with a shoulder injury for as long as he was.
To add fuel to the fire, the team hasn’t been quite as good when Irving has played. Their overall record is 18-25 this season. They’re 5-12 with their All-Star point guard in the starting lineup and 13-13 when he’s not. Spencer Dinwiddie, who was Irving’s backup, has played like an All-Star as a starter.
The whispers that the team might be better off without Irving have only grown louder. The Nets are ignoring them, though, and they’re leaning in on the Kyrie Irving experience instead. Dinwiddie, who has been starting even after Irving’s return, is going back to the bench.
“I’m told the Nets are moving guard Spencer Dinwiddie to the bench…”
NBA Insider @ShamsCharania reports on Brooklyn switching their starting lineup beginning Saturday night in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/hbv18gyYMP
— Stadium (@Stadium) January 25, 2020
Look, this makes sense from a practical standpoint. Irving is an All-Star. Dinwiddie has been a bench player for most of his career. They signed him to a four year deal — he’s there to stay. If they can’t play together at the same time, the Nets will choose Irving 10 out of 10 times. They probably should.
BUT…this Kyrie thing, man. It’s weird.
This is the third year in a row where his teams have not missed him when he was out.
Two years ago the Celtics went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals after he got hurt. Last year, they looked absolutely miserable playing with him and went 12-3 when he sat.
This year it’s the same story. The Nets have less talent on the floor when Kyrie is out … but they’ve been a .500 level basketball team when he doesn’t play. When he does, they look like a lottery team.
We don’t know how this story is going to end, but boy, does it sound familiar. The big difference here? The Nets have a 7-foot absolute bucket coming next season to look forward to.
Hopefully for Nets fans, that makes all of this worth it.
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