Nets: 3 players who must produce more with Kevin Durant out

1. Kyrie Irving

Kyrie hasn’t been a simple passenger on Durant’s comeback tour. In fact, when the Nets need a bucket, it’s been Irving who has grabbed the bull by the horns, often dominating the ball for long stretches and using his trademark mesmerizing handles to get to the rim, all the while showing off a much-improved three-point shot. Irving, who had a brief test run as the featured offensive talent last season, showed that he can still put up career-best numbers, but his ability to lead his team to victories when he is the straw stirring the drink has been a question surrounding him as far back as the pre-LeBron days in Cleveland.

Irving was averaging 26.8 points and 6.3 assists per game with Durant in the lineup, and those numbers will likely increase as long as Durant is away from the team. We know that Irving will put the ball in the basket, the question will be if he can navigate a challenging part of their schedule without No. 7 next to him on the wing.

All Kyrie has to do is lock in while playing an efficient, turnover-free style of basketball that sacrifices trying to do too much in the name of teamwork, and the Nets should be able to escape their KD-less week without too much damage. If he fails to accomplish this goal, Brooklyn will need to worry about overcoming their sub-.500 record before thinking about a championship.

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