Stephen A. Smith: This is the last season Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant play together

Irving, for his part, believes his role as the leader of the team is to both support Simmons when he can, but also give him the space to go about things as he sees fit. “I think one of our greatest strengths as a human community is humanizing each other’s lives,” Irving said. “He’s human, so he’ll react his way. And he’s going to do things his way and we have to honor and respect that, that’s what honest people do. Not everyone lives by the same moral principles, so yes, as a leader I feel it is my responsibility to protect him, but I also need to understand that he has to go through things alone. “And when he asks for help, you just have to be there for him. It’s easier said than done. Help is very cheap. It is free. You can offer it to anyone – so that’s exactly where I stand, brother.” -via ESPN / October 13, 2022