Kyrie Irving is a dynamic player just as much as he is a complex one. On the court, he can do just about anything he wants to do to score the basketball, but off the court, he’s known to be extremely moody and tends to isolate himself at times.
According to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, that moodiness has become a concern for the Brooklyn Nets.
“Yet Irving’s infamous mood swings, confirmed by his ex-teammates, which followed him from Cleveland to Boston to Brooklyn, are the unspoken concern that makes Nets officials queasy. When Irving lapses into these funks, he often shuts down, unwilling to communicate with the coaching staff, front office and sometimes, even his teammates. Nets team sources say one such episode occurred during Brooklyn’s trip to China, leaving everyone scratching their heads as to what precipitated it.”
Irving’s personality quirks are seriously nothing new as they have been well-publicized from his stops in Cleveland and in Boston.
MacMullan published an article in May 2019 titled “Kyrie Irving and the Celtics’ state of dismay” that discussed his mood swings.
“Celtics players concede that earlier in the season Irving’s mood swings often left them treading lightly in the locker room. Coach Brad Stevens and [Danny] Ainge addressed it with their best player, and he promised to be more aware.”
The Nets have hope in the form of Kevin Durant as he continues to rehab his injury and come back stronger next season. However, Durant doesn’t want to intervene.
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“There’s hope that Durant will be able to coax his friend into a better frame of mind. But when presented with that scenario, KD says he will be hands off.
“I look at Kyrie as somebody who is an artist,” Durant says. “You have to leave him alone. You know what he’ll bring to the table every night because he cares so much about the game.
“Now, it might not be how other people want him to care about it. He has his way of doing things. I respect who he is and what he does. He has all the intangibles you want in a teammate and a great player. So, how he gets to the point to be ready for 7:30 every night, I’m supporting him 100 percent.”
Irving is averaging 37.7 points, 6.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game so far to start the season.
