Kyrie Irving’s return to the court is still a mystery and he won’t be joining the Brooklyn Nets on an upcoming three-game road trip.
According to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Kyrie Irving will not be traveling with the Brooklyn Nets over the next week. The All-NBA point guard is still dealing with a shoulder injury that has kept him out of action for more than a month.
Brooklyn has upcoming games against the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Dallas Mavericks. Head coach Kenny Atkinson and the rest of the Nets organization has been tight-lipped about Irving’s status, but his absence on the road trip indicates that the point guard’s return is far from imminent.
On the bright side, Caris LeVert will travel with the team and he appears to be much closer to rejoining his teammates. Atkinson told Andrews that LeVert needs to go through a few more practices before he’s ready to return to game action. LeVert is already undergoing full contact in practices so it’s safe to assume that he’s close to returning.
The next big test for Atkinson will be reintegrating LeVert—and eventually Irving—into his rotations. Brooklyn has managed to stay afloat despite a rash of injuries largely due to the heroics of Spencer Dinwiddie.
The point guard is playing at an All-Star level and carrying Brooklyn’s offense. Obviously, the Nets are going to be glad to have more offensive firepower, but the hope is that LeVert and Irving’s returns don’t come at the expense of Dinwiddie.
The Nets open this upcoming road trip on Saturday against the Rockets (8 p.m. ET).