Kyrie Irving opened up about his mindset when he was sent home by the Brooklyn Nets in the first part of the season. The Nets originally refused to let Irving be a part of the team as a part-time player, because Irving was unable to play home games in New York.

“There was nothing to lose, you know?” Irving said. “It was only the journey to enjoy at that point, because I was sitting at home and... I don’t even want to say sitting at home, I was wondering at home what my future was going to look like, you know? Whether I was going to be traded, whether I was going to be released, whether I was going to get the opportunity to be on another team. How I was going to spin this for myself in a positive way.”

Irving went on to say it was the support of family and friends that got him through that period when he couldn't be with the team. But he said he never really felt like himself after returning to the Nets.

“I kept affirming to myself things are going to change. I had people around me, and I’m grateful for them, affirming that things were going to change," Irving said. "But I never felt like myself throughout the season, because I’m usually sustaining a level of growth throughout the year, instead of trying to catch up with everybody that’s been playing for four or five months. They’ve been at it every day since October or September.”