This guy is such a fraud. I'd bet anything he had no real intention of playing much at all this season without Durant. That'd further expose his lack of leadership and alpha personality, and that scares him to death.
I'd wager too that this was why he and Jaylen didn't get along. Jaylen is legitimately intelligent, Kyrie pretends to be, and both of them knew this. Kyrie was as intimidated as hell by Jaylen.