Kyrie Irving, a player uniquely gifted in the art of unsettling a defense, has always seemed a little unsettled himself. Maybe that's why he had to stop during his pregame address Wednesday prior to his regular-season debut with the Brooklyn Nets.

For the first time, he felt grounded and comfortable. For the first time, he felt at home.

Irving has conspicuously told fans exactly what they've wanted to hear before, only to walk back what seemed like heartfelt sentiments. Remember that pledge to re-sign with the Boston Celtics a year ago?

Still, you have to admit: Irving played Wednesday like a guy who was happy to be home.

The New Jersey native who grew up rooting for the Nets hung 50 points on the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, the highest total ever for a player debuting with a new team.

Irving drilled 17 of his 33 attempts from the field, filling it up from everywhere on the floor.

The 27-year-old had topped the half-century mark twice before in his career, but he had never logged more than five assists in a 50-pointer before. He had seven dimes against the Wolves, not to mention zero turnovers.

The Nets essentially let him run wild, and why wouldn't they? From an early juncture, it was obvious Irving was feeling himself.

Late in the contest, despite facing increasingly focused defensive attention, he continued to fire off shots that would earn most players a seat on the bench. Irving didn't head to the pine after any of his wizardry. But there would have been room to sit if he had; his entire team was up, standing and shouting in support.

We've buried the lead, of course. Irving's Nets lost in overtime to the Wolves 127-126. And it may never be possible to divorce Irving's ill-fated slip on the potential game-winner from an otherwise brilliant night. 

Maybe it's fitting, though, that Irving's genius couldn't shine through without a conspicuous imperfection. It's befitting of a career that has always left him just a little unsatisfied.

He hit a Finals-clinching shot alongside LeBron James in 2016, earning a ring and reaching the NBA mountaintop. But second-fiddle status didn't sit right with Irving, and he was on the move a little more than a year later. 

Everything was fine with the Celtics until Irving missed the playoffs in 2018 and had to watch as Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The following season, Irving's moodiness became an issue. He withdrew from teammates and ultimately reneged on his intention to re-sign with Boston. (Nets fans, again: Maybe file this away for reference if you were a little too moved by Irving's pregame emotion).

But here at stop No. 3 on Irving's NBA tour, things seem different.

He was instrumental in building Brooklyn's roster, effectively organizing the coordinated move that brought Kevin Durant to the Nets. That's a level of influence he never had in Cleveland or Boston, and that feeling of empowerment might matter. It's also true, in light of how Brooklyn allowed Irving to operate Wednesday, that he's fully in charge on the floor as well.

The feels like a win-win for Irving and the Nets. For now. Clear skies have clouded quickly in Irving's past.

Irving was a (reasonably) good soldier with Cleveland for several seasons, but he eventually decided that he wanted command of his own troop. He made no waves during his first year in Boston, but he later cannonballed into the once-placid pool.

With that history, we can't ignore the possibility that a smooth start will get rocky whenever Durant returns. It's hard to have any idea of how Irving might respond to the introduction of another superstar, even if it's one with whom he purposely teamed up.

If Irving sustains the momentum he generated in Wednesday's opener and goes on to post a career year, would he readily sacrifice what he has now: an unquestioned alpha role?

Those are down-the-road concerns. In his debut, Irving said and did just about everything right.

Yes, he has his failures in the not-so-distant past. And yes, you're right to roll your eyes when his press-conference soliloquies veer into third-eye, fourth-dimension, transcendentalist mad-lib territory. But all of that—the persistent sense of the unfinished and the clumsy philosophizing—sure make Irving seem like a guy who's been searching for something.

Maybe he's found it at home.

Former Detroit Pistons head coach turned NBA TV and TNT broadcaster, Stan Van Gundy, joins "The Full 48 with Howard Beck" to discuss game evolution, defensive trends, the 4-point shot, the coach's challenge, Dwight Howard and the Lakers, and the Detroit Pistons.