What does guard Kyrie Irving's return as a part-time player mean to the Brooklyn Nets?
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday that the turbulence of the ongoing NBA season -- surely related to the seven Brooklyn players unable to play currently due to the league's COVID-19 health & safety protocols, as well as the heavy minutes logged by star Kevin Durant -- has caused the organization to rethink its stance on having the unvaccinated Irving be part of the team while he's ineligible to play in home games. Irving is set to rejoin team activities in preparation for his 2021-22 debut.
New York City had previously clarified that the city's vaccination requirement for sporting events does not prevent Irving from practicing with the Nets at their private Brooklyn practice facility, and his availability for games outside of New York has never been in question.
With the resurgence of the pandemic making player availability a question mark from game to game, the idea of Nets coach Steve Nash managing separate rotations for home and road games no longer seems as problematic as it did in October.
How much can having Irving half the time help Brooklyn? Let's take a look.