Nets' Kyrie Irving has successful surgery on his right shoulder
Nets guard Kyrie Irving reacts down on the court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Barclays Center on Jan. 31, 2020. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
BOSTON — Next season for the Nets officially began on Tuesday when the team announced Kyrie Irving underwent successful surgery to repair a right shoulder impingement that will sideline him the rest of the season. Surgery had been postponed since the original announcement on Feb. 20 that Irving’s season was over, but the operation performed by Dr. Riley Williams III went well and Irving is expected to make a full recovery.
The Nets were making their second visit to Boston Tuesday night. Irving missed the first trip with the shoulder injury and was booed lustily in absentia by fans of his former team.
“It sounds like everything went perfectly,” said Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, who texted with Irving following the procedure.
Irving played only 20 games but averaged a career-high 27.4 points, including two 50-point performances, and added 5.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 47.8% overall, 39.4% from three-point range and 92.2% at the foul line. Despite the limited sample size, Atkinson said he learned a lot about Irving.
“This offseason, I’ll get to spend a lot more time with him,” Atkinson said. “That’s where the real progress is with our relationship. But I’ve got a good grip on who he is as a player and where he fits. Now, throw the [Kevin Durant] piece in and figuring how they work together, that’s probably going to take some time.”
Durant has missed the entire season while rehabbing from Achilles tendon surgery but has made excellent progress and joined the Nets’ road trip in Miami. Durant, Irving and Joe Harris are among 44 candidates for the U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo this summer, but Irving has a shorter recovery window.
Asked if the organization might discourage Irving and Durant from Olympic participation, Atkinson said, “I’m not going to speculate. Those are discussions with our medical team, with the organization and, obviously, with both of those guys. I think those are down-the-line decisions.”
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
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