Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving is back from injury, and must be ready for an extra-important 2018-19 year. Here are three goals the point guard must consider going forward.
Boston Celtics star point guard Kyrie Irving is finally back after a heartbreaking knee injury that sidelined him in March, and kept him out of the 2018 playoffs.
This injury lead to surgery, where the doctors had to remove two screws in his left patella after he fractured his knee back in the 2015 Finals when he was still with Cleveland.
Since the recovery time following the injury happened to be four to five months, Irving should be fully healthy for the first game on October 16.
Over the past few weeks, there’s been an endless amount of rumors surrounding Kyrie, and where he’ll end up following the 2018-19 season. Many say the New York Knicks, because that’s where longtime friend Jimmy Butler may go.
On top of that, the Knicks have room for both of them, something the Celtics don’t have, especially with Gordon Hayward under a max contract. Regardless, it’s a tough situation for the organization to be in.
Rumors aside, Irving has expressed countless times that his main goal in 2018-19 is winning a championship with the team he is on now. In order to even have a slight chance against the Golden State Warriors, Irving must focus on some goals put forth for the upcoming 2018-19 regular season.
Here are three of the most important.
1. Become a consistent defender
Celtics fans are already familiar with what Irving can do offensively. He averaged 24 points per game on 50 percent shooting in 2017-18, according to NBA stats. His leadership and flashy finishes at the rim are impeccable, and integral to Coach Brad Stevens’ playbook.
However, Irving’s defense looked inconsistent at times. From October to December of 2017, the former Cavalier became progressively worse on that end of the floor.
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According to Liam O’Brien of Hardwood Houdini, Irving went from a 97 defensive rating in October of 2017, to a 104 in November, and finally an abysmal 115 in December. At one point, he placed 350th in the NBA for defensive rating during a certain stretch of those December games. Overall, his rating was better than 2016-2017 (109.1 in 2016-17, 103.5 in 2017-18), but there’s still room for improvement.
As far as overall defense goes, Irving placed behind Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Marcus Smart for the entire NBA. All guys that aren’t as talented as he is. Irving still finished 29th in overall defense for the entire league in 2017 which isn’t bad, but having the rest of the guys above him only shows how unimportant he can be on the defensive end.
In fact, Irving once had a defensive rating that was as bad as Isaiah Thomas’s when Irving was still in Cleveland (112). Thomas always gets negativity thrown at him, something Irving never seems to absorb from the media.
Having Hayward back should take some of the offensive load off of Irving, which could lead to a better defensive effort. Tatum becoming a blossoming superstar should help him as well.
2. Take charge in the fourth quarter
It was tough to watch the Boston Celtics fall apart in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals because of abnormally poor shooting. Part of that had to do with Boston shooting 17 percent from three, the other has to do with Irving sidelined with his leg injury. Just imagine if Kyrie was healthy and starting in that fourth quarter. With Tatum leading the team with 24 points and seven rebounds in that game, and Boston only scoring 79 in all, Irving could have been that other go-to scorer.
Irving showed countless times throughout the 2017 regular season how he was the actual “Mr. Fourth Quarter.” Comeback wins against the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks only solidified that notion. In clutch situations, Irving was one of the best, averaging 24.1 points per game on 50 percent shooting in those high pressure scenarios, according to NBA stats.
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Let’s not forget the amazing three he hit over Steph Curry in Game Seven on the 2016 NBA Finals too, when Cleveland finally won their long-awaited title. Irving also scored over 40 points in Game Five of that series, starting a three-game run that was one for the record books.
Scoring should not be as much of an issue with the Boston Celtics this year, especially since Tatum and Brown continue to grow, and Hayward is now added to the equation. Having Irving for the final quarter is really necessary though, especially when the bench may stagnate,as it did countless times throughout the 2017 season.
3. Stay healthy
Yeah, I know this sounds obvious, and a little generic, but it’s true, especially in Irving’s case. Remember all of the knee issues Derrick Rose had to deal with after his improbable MVP run back in 2010? Sure, those were definitely more serious, but who says that same situation couldn’t happen to Kyrie Irving?
Low key, Kyrie has been pretty injury-prone. He had a right toe issue in his only season with Duke, then had the patellar problem in 2015 when he was still in Cleveland.
On top of that, he just had surgery on that knee back in March, and although he’s healthy now, one can never know what may happen in the future. Just ask Hayward.
Much like Rose, Irving uses his whole body to finish at the rim, as shown by his unrelenting attacking of the basket. He has the same athleticism too. The good news is unlike the Rose situation, Irving actually has great players to back him up and relieve him of any large offensive load. His lower body problems are still worth noting, and re-injuring another part of his leg may not be out of the question.
If Irving does stay healthy, it would only help the Boston Celtics case of making an NBA Finals appearance in June, most likely against the dynastic Golden State Warriors.