Amar'e Stoudemire Says Kyrie Irving's Absences 'Definitely' Hurt Nets' Chemistry

The Brooklyn Nets had a player development assistant in the same role as the one that Stoudemire had.

On Get Up earlier this week, Stoudemire said that the Nets didn't have the consistency with Irving and that it hurt them.

Irving wasn't available to the Nets for home games and certain road games because of his stance against getting the COVID-19 vaccine and mandates in New York City and Toronto.

Nets general manager Sean Marks said that Irving wouldn't play or practice with the team until he could do so on a full-time basis.

Irving would play in road games after the Nets reversed course because of injuries. He did not play more than five games in a row for more than two months.

The vaccine mandate for athletes was rolled back by the New York City mayor. Irving played in all of the Nets final 14 games after Adams made his decision.

Kevin Durant missed a total of 27 games because of injuries and health and safety protocols. KD sat out 21 games with a knee injury.

The two superstars only played 17 games together during the regular season. The Nets went 11/6 in those games, compared to 33-32 when at least one of them did not play.

The Nets were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Celtics. Irving scored a total of 46 points in the final three games of the series.

Irving can become a free agent this summer if he doesn't exercise his option.

Marks told reporters this week that the Nets are looking for guys that want to come in and be part of something bigger than themselves, play team basketball, and be available as they build their roster for next season.

In 29 starts, Irving averaged 27.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.4 assists. In three seasons with the Nets, he has only appeared in 103 games.