Nets Confirm Kyrie Irving Will Miss Rest of 2019-20 Season Due to Shoulder Surgery

The Brooklyn Nets have been struggling with injury problems all season. Matters are only getting worse for the fans in Kings County, however, as they've now lost their star point guard for the rest of the campaign.

We knew Kyrie Irving would undergo surgery on his shoulder and miss significant time, but GM Sean Marks later confirmed Thursday that the superstar is done for the year.

Nets make official that Kyrie Irving will undergo season-ending surgery on shoulder. https://t.co/dfjCsEERAR
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2020

Kyrie missed 26 games earlier this season after injuring his shoulder in November. He later returned to action in January, but re-aggravated the injury.

Now that the Irving is out of the mix, the Nets will be increasingly reliant on the talents of Spencer Dinwiddie to be the No. 1 force in the backcourt. Dinwiddie has shined this season, averaging 21 points and 6.6 assists per game game, and he has also proven he could lead a Nets team with no true superstar -- they are currently seventh in the East despite all the games Irving has missed, and are on pace to make the playoffs.

Kyrie out with a shoulder injury bc "we're letting Spencer Dinwiddie shine so some team overpays in a trade for him this summer" doesn't fit on an injury report https://t.co/NCpaefB126
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) February 20, 2020

While the Nets' championship aspirations won't kick in until Kevin Durant is back and healthy alongside Irving, they still had the potential to make a playoff run and surprise some skeptics this season. Their road is certainly harder, however, now that No. 11 is on the shelf until the fall.