Nic Claxton welcomes Kyrie Irving's part-time Nets return: 'It's definitely going to be scary hours'

As Kyrie Irving prepares to make his 2021-22 season debut for the Nets, he has a team of players welcoming him back with open arms.

Nic Claxton, who is coming into his own as a third-year pro and developing member of Brooklyn's rotation, was the latest to speak on Irving's anticipated comeback.

"Hopefully we can get him back full time, but it's definitely going to be scary hours," he said before Monday's game at the Los Angeles Clipper, a 10:30 p.m. tip-off. "I think he's going to break the game for us and make things easier for everybody on the court, and I'm just ready to get my brother back."

Irving, who is unvaccinated, remains among seven Nets in health and safety protocols. Head coach Steve Nash said earlier Monday that Irving would need a week or two to ramp up, upon clearing protocols, before hitting the floor for game action.

In the meantime, Claxton has been chief among a number of players to step up for Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn throughout this early campaign. Just this past Saturday, in a 122-115 win at the Los Angeles Lakers, Claxton caught James Harden's lob with 40.7 seconds left and a 115-115 tie and put LeBron James on a poster, sparking a 7-0 Nets advantage over the final minute.

"It's definitely really building confidence," Claxton said. "And just the coaching staff trusting me to finish big games and my teammates trusting me to go out and make plays -- James having that trust in even throwing a pass like that, it says a lot about the way that he feels about me. And I went out and made it happen. So my confidence is definitely growing and I'm looking forward to just continuing to doing what I'm doing, and the sky's the limit."