Kyrie Irving has been back in the Nets starting lineup for the past eight games, culminating in a dominant 39-point performance in Tuesday night’s win against the Clippers. But fans still have their concerns about Irving’s sustainability in the lineup given the superstar’s recent seven-game absence.
Irving was away from the team for 11 days due to personal reasons, an eventful stint that included hefty league fines and a maskless appearance at a family birthday party, further adding to the narrative that Irving may not be the most reliable of teammates. But even after his sudden departure from the team, Irving still has a fan in fellow Duke alum Grant Hill.
The Hall of Famer joined Moose & Maggie on Thursday afternoon after calling the Nets/Clippers game on TNT with Ian Eagle, and Hill voiced his support for Irving, regardless of how he may be perceived by others around the league.
“I think Kyrie has done some things that are maybe questionable, and people want to try and understand, but I think he is who he is,” Hill said. “He’s comfortable with who he is, and it doesn’t necessarily fit into the box of what people may expect from him.”
If Irving is indeed seen in the wrong light by fans and others across the NBA – like Stephen A. Smith, who called on Irving to retire during his absence – Hill doesn’t imagine it bothering Irving at all.
“I think he’s a bit misunderstood,” Hill said. “I think in a way, he doesn’t care. Which has to be somewhat liberating.”
Hill experienced stardom at Duke and in the NBA like Irving did, but the seven-time All-Star says any star in today’s league has to deal with factors that players in his era did not have – making it easier for him to sympathize with Irving, who has vocalized the importance of helping those in need over the game of basketball.
“I think having been a player who was elite in the 90s, and fans may or may not understand this, but there’s a lot that goes with that,” Hill said. “It’s hard. There’s a lot of pressure and stress-managing and all that encompasses. I think that’s only magnified in today’s environment with technology and social media. I’m not saying that’s applicable to him, but it’s applicable to all these guys. I just admire how they’re able to navigate that within their roles as celebrities.”
But as is the case with most New York fan bases, winning cures everything, and with Irving leading the Nets to five wins in their last six games, Hill believes that absence won’t matter in the long run if he continues to be a major factor in Brooklyn’s success.
“If he plays the way he did the other day…he was incredible in that Clippers game,” Hill said. “He’s an incredible talent. As a part of the [Duke] brotherhood and a part of the NBA family, you want to see him do well. I’m excited for the Nets and Steve Nash.”
But if Irving and the Nets want to compete for an NBA title, Hill notes they’ll have to improve their league-worst defense. He saw flashes of defensive efficiency in Tuesday’s win, and believes only a slight improvement is needed to make Brooklyn and its high-powered offense a true contender for a championship.
“They don’t have to be an elite defensive team,” Hill said. “They just have to be around the middle of the pack. They might not even have to be that. If they go from last to 20th in the league, their offense is so powerful that it could be enough. It will be interesting to see how it evolves and how they can improve and where this team will be a month or two months from now.”
Listen to Hill’s entire appearance on Moose & Maggie below!
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