NBA: Kyrie Irving ready to return as Nets take on Pacers

Kyrie Irving is reportedly ready to return this week against the Indiana Pacers after missing the first couple months of the regular season. According to Shams Charania, the Brooklyn Nets guard is expected to make his season debut at Indiana on Wednesday night. Irving can't play in New York, San Francisco and Toronto because he remains unvaccinated but will compete in the majority of road games going forward. The front office originally chose not to have Irving around the team but because health and safety protocols are in an absolute frenzy, Brooklyn needed additional reinforcements.

The Nets have looked for the newly signed Langston Galloway and rookie David Duke to make an impact in recent games because so many players are out with COVID-19. Kevin Durant is also logging an alarming amount of minutes despite playing at an MVP level this season. He ranks second in the league with 37.1 minutes per game, which also has to be a factor in Brooklyn's decision to bring Irving back. The 7x All-Star scored 26.9 points, 6.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in a Game 4 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs last year.

"When the team approached me, we had a good conversation. This is always where I wanted to be. Even if it's just on the road for away games, I'm just grateful for the opportunity," Irving explained to the media last week. "I'm thankful for everybody that helped me stay in shape during that time. Trying to keep things as private as possible but also with the intent to get the most I can out of some of these pick up games. But there's nothing like being in this environment and playing with the best of the best. This is where I belong. This is where I've worked my entire life to be. I missed it."

Irving is expected to return against the Pacers but will have to miss the following two games in Brooklyn against the Bucks and San Antonio Spurs. It's going to be difficult for one of the league's premier point guards to play such an inconsistent role but when he is on the court, Irving will demand attention like he never missed a moment. The Nets are currently 23-12 and in second place in the Eastern Conference behind the Chicago Bulls. Brooklyn knows they need Irving in order to truly compete for a championship and he should be available for an upcoming matchup with first place Chicago next week.

Photo Credit: Fox Sports.