Brooklyn Nets: Irving breaks record scores 50 in debut

Kyrie Irving’s record-setting Brooklyn Nets debut put the NBA on notice. Here’s why his scoring outburst made a statement.

Last night, Kyrie Irving broke an NBA record by scoring 50 points in his debut with the Brooklyn Nets. The previous record was held by Kiki Vandeweghe when he scored 47 points in 1984. Despite losing in overtime,127-126, to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kyrie gave the fans a glimpse of what is to come. In total, Kyrie hit four milestones in last night’s game :

1. Number of points scored in a Nets’ debut (32).
2. Most points scored in a team debut (48).
3. 7th 50-point performance in Nets history
4. 50-point opener (joining Michael Jordan and Anthony Davis).

His stat line against the T-Wolves was Jordan-esque: 50 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds 1 block, 17/33 FG, 7/14 3PT, 9/10 FT, 38 min, +18 (+/-), 0 TO. Although these are MVP-type numbers, the Nets still missed out on a win, which is obviously not a cause for alarm at this point.

As expected, Caris LeVert, Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Joe Harris provided Kyrie with the help he needed on both ends of the floor throughout the game. This Brooklyn Nets roster is surely talented enough to be among the top four or five teams in the Eastern Conference; but only if Kyrie excels in his role with the team.

Final thoughts

All it took was one game in a Brooklyn Nets uniform for Kyrie to break some lofty NBA records. Wednesday night was a heartfelt experience for Kyrie, as he is finally playing where he wanted to all along.

Kyrie recently told SNY before their home opener that every teammate shares leadership responsibilities, knowing he must step up all season long if he wants to lead the Brooklyn Nets to another successful campaign. While the Nets are not at full strength and will not be this entire season, they have a shot at making some noise in the Eastern Conference.

2019-20 will be a testament to Kyrie and the Nets talent and chemistry, specifically in preparation for Kevin Durant’s return next year. If Kyrie can keep this level of play up, he’ll be an MVP candidate all season long and lead the Nets into a deep playoff run.