Irving, Klay and what his return means for the NBA
On the one hand, Brooklyn, which occupies the second place in the Eastern Conference, will count on the return of point guard Kyrie Irving on Wednesday, who for the moment will play ‘part time’ due to his unvaccinated status.
Meanwhile, within the Warriors organization – who have the NBA’s best record with a 29-7 record – there is “optimism” that point guard Klay Thompson will reappear on the court this Sunday. What do their returns mean and how will they impact the Nets and Warriors?
An unstoppable trio when they match up on the court
Last season, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Irving played just 332 minutes together on the court in both the regular season and playoffs.
When all three were on the court together, they posted an offensive efficiency of over 135 points per 100 possessions.
In the first round, they combined for 85.2 points per game against the Boston Celtics, the most by a trio in any playoff series in NBA history.
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Brooklyn is 11-3 when Harden, Durant and Irving play, including the postseason.
Why do the Nets have to turn to Irving?
For the simple reason that both Durant, and Harden, cannot continue at this pace of playing all the minutes, as they would be burned out come playoff time.
Harden, for his part, is second during that span with 39.2 minutes per game.
The return of seven-time All-Star Irving is no small feat. The sensational point guard is coming off a season in which he shot 50-40-90 from the field. Only Stephen Curry, Durant and Larry Bird have recorded a similar campaign, averaging at least 25 PPJ.
How many games will Irving play?
The Nets have 24 away games remaining, but Irving will be ineligible to play in three of them (two at the Knicks, one at the Raptors), leaving him ‘available’ for 21 away games, as well as a postponed game at Portland.
Notably, Irving has missed 57 percent of the Nets’ games since joining the team.
Thompson, a morale booster for Warriors
Klay’s return reunites one of the best trios in NBA history in Curry, Draymond Green and Thompson.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Warriors have a 365-113 record (.764 winning %) when playing all three on the court, the highest percentage for any trio in NBA history with at least 400 games.
The closest was the Lakers’ former trio of Byron Scott/Magic Johnson/A.C. Green at 333-104 (.762%).
Thompson, who hasn’t played since tearing his ACL during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals – and then his Achilles tendon in November 2020 in a practice – was one of the league’s most durable players prior to that.
His 738 games played from his 2011-12 debut through the 2019 Finals is 20 more than any other player (LeBron with 718).
When Thompson returns, it will have been two years and more than 200 days since he last appeared against the Raptors. Already, head coach Steve Kerr has warned that Thompson will immediately return to the starting lineup.
Since the merger of the two leagues in 1976-77, only one player averaged 20 points per game after sitting out the previous two seasons. Guess what? One Michael Jordan, who averaged 22.9 points per game in 2001-02 with the Washington Wizards.
What do the returns of Irving and Thompson mean? That the rest of the league is in ‘trouble’.
The Nets will finally have one of the best ball handlers in the entire history of the league to give Harden and Durant a ‘breather’. With Irving, Brooklyn reaches another dimension.
The Warriors, meanwhile, reaffirm themselves as the Golden State of yesteryear. The one that scores you to the hilt and gets you off the floor. With the exception that, possibly, they have the best role players they have ever had.
Uncomfortable for their opponents and fan favorites. Now the real NBA season begins.
