"Just because they have Kyrie, that don’t mean they win on the road” - Jalen Rose on Nets'prospects with Kevin Durant out

Kyrie Irving has re-entered the starting lineup for the Brooklyn Nets, but Kevin Durant will now be missing some time due to injury. With Irving only available for away games and Durant out, ESPN analyst and former NBA player, Jalen Rose believes the Nets could slide down the Eastern Conference standings.

For a big chunk of the early part of the season, the Nets held the no.1 seed unapposed. However, now the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, which consists of the Nets(1st), Chicago Bulls(2nd), The Miami Heat (3rd) and the Milwaukee Bucks (4th), are all only separated by 1.5 games.

There could be massive playoff implications if the Nets go through a mini losing streak because of Durant's absence and the limited availability of Irving.

Speaking on the "Jalen and Jacoby" show, Rose believes this will be a crucial time for the Nets, and the "Kyrie factor" could play a role in the team's postseason fortunes. Rose went on to paint a scenario in which the Heat meet the Nets during the playoffs, and how Irving's presence would influence Miami's thinking.

“Just because they have Kyrie, that don’t mean they gonna win on the road. 80% of the time that team [the home team] wins. said Rose. "Let me tell you what the [Miami] Heat would rather have. They would rather have home (advantage) and Kyrie playing versus being on the road and Kyrie not playing.”

With Kevin Durant out, can the Nets afford to fall in the East?

Brooklyn Nets stars Kyrie Irving (left) and Kevin Durant (right

Having home-court advantage in the playoff series is almost always the best thing for a team's chances of advancing. Kevin Durant’s injury will likely make that possible for teams such as the Miami Heat who are nearing full strength, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks who are starting to find their groove.

But in away games, the Nets are able to play Irving, who should drastically change the way the team performs. This means that opponents also have to prepare for the prospect of having to come up against the three-headed monster of Durant, Irving, and James Harden.

In fact, the numbers might favor the Nets stars being better on the road. Irving has yet to get to his full production level, as he is currently averaging 22 points per game, five rebounds and 5.4 assists. He has only featured on the road thus far, so his stats have been drawn from a relatively small sample size of just five games.

Harden’s numbers have not shown a massive difference between his home and away games this season, but they do trend towards him performing better on the road. Through 20 away games, Harden has averaged 23.2 points per game, 7.9 rebounds and 10.4 assists. Meanwhile, over his 20 appearances at home, Harden averages 22.7 points per game, 8.2 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game.

One big difference is Kevin Durant, who seems to play significantly better when the team is on its travels. Durant’s road stats are 3.3 points, 0.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists, higher than his home game stats. Durant averages an impressive 30.1 points per game, 7.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game on the road.

However, this is not to say that the Nets should be content with sliding down the playoff standings for the express purpose of playing more road playoff games. It might only prove to make a difference if they find themselves in a tough series and are forced to play a few crucial games on the road.