How the Nets season will be decided: Kyrie Irving’s fate, Kevin Durant’s burden, Nic Claxton’s moment

A Nets season filled with the loftiest of expectations begins Tuesday night. What questions and issues will define the franchise over the next few months?

Will Kyrie Irving play for the Nets this season?

Attempting to predict Irving is like trying to time the market. Even the best and brightest will go broke trying that fool’s errand.

Many inside the Brooklyn organization had expected Irving to be vaccinated by the start of camp. Tuesday is the start of the season, and he’s no closer to taking the vaccine.

Everybody from Kevin Durant to Steve Nash seems braced for this to drag on, and even the team’s promo trailer had Irving conspicuously scrubbed from it.