BROOKLYN - One of the major subplots of the 2019-20 NBA season was the question of how the Boston Celtics would fare without Kyrie Irving and how he would fare without them. The answer was way more balanced than anyone expected as both the Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets are currently in the playoff picture. Though, after news yesterday from the Brooklyn camp, it seems like this might be shifting sooner rather than later.

It was announced yesterday by Nets general manager Sean Marks that Irving is going to miss the rest of this basketball season with a right shoulder injury, per CBS Sports. He is undergoing arthroscopic surgery on the ailment that will sideline him until the tip-off of the 2020-21 campaign. Kyrie has been banged up all year with injuries. The shoulder injury took him out of 26 games earlier in the year and he missed five ahead of the All-Star break after falling down and spraining his knee back at the outset of February. It might be best for him to just get well, rather than try to play through it.

This injury news comes just days after the announcement from the National Basketball Players Association that Irving was named to the group's executive committee as the vice president of the organization. Irving was the player representative from Brooklyn this year and now, he says he is ready to shoulder the responsibility of being the V.P. for the next three seasons, replacing Pau Gasol in the role.

With Kyrie's controversial history, the announcement was met with a bit of distaste and surprise from some NBA players. Former Celtics big man Kendrick Perkins was openly critical of Kyrie and described the situation as "the blind leading the blind." There has been merit to the idea that Kyrie does not have leadership capabilities, but perhaps this opportunity will allow him to finally grow in the role that fans have been projecting onto him for years.

As for how it translates to his play on the court? We'll have to wait until next season to see when he laces up with Kevin Durant and whichever Nets remain from this impending playoff run of doom.

Image Flickr/Bryan Horowitz