Will Kyrie Irving's return to Nets be a boom or bust?
While the majority of the NBA is currently navigating life without key players due to health and safety protocols, the Brooklyn Nets are about to get a boost from the return of a star player.
That player is Kyrie Irving, who is on the verge of returning to the team for road games and practices after missing the Nets' first 32 games and counting.
Because Irving remains unvaccinated, he is not allowed to play in New York City, which means the earliest possible return date for the All-Star guard would be Jan. 5 on the road against the Indiana Pacers. An official return date, however, has yet to be set.
Regardless, the prospects are promising for a team that sits atop the Eastern Conference (23-9) and has the league's leading scorer (Kevin Durant, 29.7 PPG). Now, the midseason addition of a player of Irving's caliber seems like a good reason to place faith in Brooklyn.
During the 2020-21 season, the Nets were 36-18 with Irving on the floor, and he averaged 26.9 PPG and 6.0 assists while shooting 50.6% from the field, 40.2% from 3-point range and 92.2% from the free-throw line.
The Nets also claimed a 2-0 lead over the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals before Irving suffered a sprained ankle. He didn't play the rest of that series, which the Bucks won in seven games.
But even with all signs pointing to Irving's addition being a net positive, Nick Wright is skeptical that the Nets can reach their full potential with Irving playing only in road games.
He laid out his reasons for pessimism on "First Things First."
"Folks need to look at the end of the Nets' season," Wright said. "The last day of the regular season is April 10. From March 27 on, there is one game that Kyrie can play in, at Atlanta. From March 27 to the end of the year, the Nets have two road games, Atlanta and the Knicks."
This browser does not support the Video element.
Kyrie Irving met the media for the first time since being cleared to return for the Brooklyn Nets' road games. Chris Broussard thinks Kyrie's return will be a positive for a struggling Nets team, but Nick Wright believes it is a bad idea.
The Nets have 23 remaining road games that Irving will be able to appear in, enough time for him to ingratiate himself into a locker room with which he is already familiar.
And as Chris Broussard pointed out, as long as the Nets are in favor of Irving's return, there is reason to believe this should be smooth sailing for Brooklyn.
"As long as Kevin Durant and James Harden and the rest of the bunch is on board with this and has the right attitude, I do think this will work," Broussard said.
All eyes will be on Irving and the Nets from here on out.
The NBA's most interesting storyline this season is about to get a lot more intriguing.