“Kyrie Irving took 4 more shots than Kevin Durant but had 24 less points?”: How the Nets guard couldn’t find his rhythm in pivotal loss against Trae Young and his Hawks

Kyrie Irving took more shots than Kevin Durant during the latter’s 55 point masterpiece and yet finished with 24 less points. 

The Brooklyn Nets are play-in bound after quite the tumultuous 2022 NBA regular season. Sean Marks’s squad has gone through everything from Kevin Durant suffering an MCL sprain to James Harden’s dramatic exit from the roster. And of course, nobody can forget the Kyrie Irving vaccine drama that plagued the Nets for entirety of the season. 

Despite all of these setbacks, the Brooklyn Nets look like one of the best offensive teams in the league even without Ben Simmons taking to NBA hardwood for even a second. While their offensive is essentially unstoppable, their defense is questionable at best.

Also read: “I retired without having figured out how to shut Kevin Durant down!”: When Kobe Bryant called the Slim Reaper the toughest guy to guard in the NBA

BKN ceded 122 points to an Atlanta Hawks without John Collins last night and Simmons’ absence was felt more so than ever. Their DRTG on the season is at a lowly 112.5 which is only .4 better than their 9th ranked offense of 112.9. 

Kevin Durant took less shots than Kyrie Irving and yet had more points. 

The plan for the Brooklyn Nets has never been to be a good defensive team. Having two of perhaps the most skilled offensive players of the century in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving shows that they have put all their chips on the offensive end of the floor.

Also read: “LeBron James and Kevin Durant to miss the playoffs? Looks likely”: Evaluating the Lakers and the Nets’ playoff chances

Kyrie Irving has proven to be an offensive mastermind this season, going for 40+ and 50+ point games as he pleases. This however, wasn’t the case last night as he had quite the inefficient night last night. He shot 12-32 from the field and while he did rain in 7 threes, he also went 5-18 from within the arc.

Kevin Durant on the other hand set his career high in points with a double nickel game of his own, dropping 55 points on an incredibly efficient 19-28 from the field. Unlike Irving, he also made 9-11 of his free throws to Irving’s 0-0. 

While Kyrie Irving most certainly didn’t ‘stink up the joint’, it’s clear that betting everything on offense means having everybody firing on all cylinders.