Kyrie Irving looked slightly winded Thursday. But so did Seth Curry.
Irving's jumper looked rhythmic and occasionally fantastic. But so did Seth Curry's.
If practice makes perfect, practicing in public makes sense for an almost-perfect freshman point guard on the eve of his NCAA tournament debut against Hampton. During Duke's 40-minute workout, fans and reporters seldom looked elsewhere whenever Irving touched the ball.
He draws that kind of attention because Duke was unbeatable during his eight-game blur of an introduction and might regain that heads-above-the-crowd aura during the reunion. Coach Mike Krzyzewski plans to bring Irving off the bench in moderate segments and see what happens, which excites Irving.
"I think the emotional thing, when that will come to me is when I put on my jersey again for the first time since last Dec. 4," Irving said.
Irving tore ligaments in the big toe on his right foot during a win over Butler. At the moment of injury, he led the Blue Devils with 17.4 points a game, an average Nolan Smith topped by the final horn. Irving spent two months in a cast, his case complicated by the surprising presence of an extra bone in that toe, his natural enthusiasm sometimes muted by the tortuously slow healing.
The cast came off Feb. 4, replaced by an orthopedic boot. Irving accelerated the rehabilitation by running in a pool, which he found harder than moving on dry land. Progress enhanced his mood, and he informed social-media followers of his optimism.
He worked out during the ACC tournament but said he wasn't ready because he wasn't fully confident. Although Krzyzewski announced Tuesday that Irving might play this week, Irving said he remained undecided until consulting his father, other relatives and coaches Wednesday night.
"I'm not concerned about the toe at all," Irving said. "I am completely confident in the toe."
He wears special shoes now, the right shoe made with two shanks to prevent the foot from bending as far back as when he hurt it.
The odd injury forced Irving's inner circle, in consultation with Duke doctors, to contemplate surgery, which would have ended his season. "It was a close decision," Irving said.
His primary goal was to get healthy and preserve his basketball future. He is projected as the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in most mock NBA drafts if he leaves college this season.
During a locker-room interview, Irving said that "the NCAA tournament is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Does that mean he will make the pro decision after this season? "I'm not sure," Irving replied.
He's merely adjusting to College, Part II. This isn't like Part I, the opener against Princeton. "It's even more nerve-racking — just the pressure to advance," Irving said.
The foremost question: How well can he play after such a layoff? Irving estimates his physical skills at 95 percent of previous capacity, with 5 percent deducted for conditioning.
Krzyzewski will take that. "We never thought that this could happen, you know," Krzyzewski said, "and the fact that it is happening, we need to take advantage of it and just go from there. He's a really smart player. The game comes easier to great players than other players, and this kid will be a great player. He won't be a great player tomorrow, but he's got great talent and he's got great character. He's a very special guy."
North Carolina's Roy Williams, comparing freshman point guards, called Irving the closest thing to Indiana's Isiah Thomas that he has ever seen.
Senior Smith called Irving's interactions the best of any injured teammate during his Duke career. "No chemistry was lost, even with him not on the court, and by him being a point guard, he'll make chemistry work when he gets the ball in his hands," Smith said.
Irving promises to share the wealth again, regardless of his immediate net value.
"I'm not going to come back and miraculously just be the same exact player," he said. "It's definitely going to take time for me to get my bearings back."
For a team chasing a second straight title, there's no time like now.
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