New York lifted vaccine mandates, but Kyrie Irving still can’t play

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 10: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets cheers on his team in the first quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 10, 2022 in Washington, DC, New York lifted vaccine mandates, but Kyrie Irving still can’t play. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

On March 11, 2020, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID. Not too long after that, Commissioner Adam Silver stated that the NBA season was suspended till further notice. That was the beginning of a long, difficult road in both the NBA and the world as a whole.

Speeding up to present day, the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, announced a few days ago that as long as the city shows a low COVID-spreading rate, he would remove the mandates for indoor venus on March 7.

New York lifted vaccine mandates, but Kyrie Irving still can’t play

In theory, this would mean that Kyrie Irving, who has been forced to miss Brooklyn Nets home games this year, would be allowed to play. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, according to Shams Charania.

What does this mean for the Nets? In reality, nothing new. The Nets have played without Irving for basically the whole season. Kevin Durant is out as well with an MCL sprain, and they are currently ranked eighth in the East.

However, according to Nets head coach Steve Nash (via Josh Lewenberg), Durant is expected to return at some point “later this week.” Brooklyn’s next game is on Thursday night against the Miami Heat at home (meaning Irving won’t be available to play).

The future for the Nets is very unpredictable, and while they did recently receive Ben Simmons at the trade deadline, he has not been cleared to play yet, says ESPN. The report also states that Simmons is dealing with back soreness and Brooklyn doesn’t want to rush him back.

But even with all the uncertainty with when Simmons will return, the question is, when he does come back, will he make the Nets better? Simmons averages 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game for his career, in addition to his elite defense.

Seth Curry and LaMarcus Aldrige are the next two best players on the squad, and they average roughly 28 points together. Obviously, that’s behind Durant and Irving, who average around 54 points combined. But again, that’s only when Irving is allowed to play, which for the foreseeable future, will continue to be in road games only.