NBA
Addition by Subtraction: How Kyrie’s Departure Benefits Boston
While Irving's departure may appear to put Boston in a dark place, the future is brighter than it may seem
Noah Graham/Getty Images
If there is one thing that Boston has over a lot of other teams, it’s a group of young guys who are hungry. This is a unique situation brewing for the future. A core of at least Tatum and Brown have been apart of early success in their careers leading them to one win away from the Finals. And let’s not forget, they were “the guys” on that team. Moments as such should have fans confident:
The youngin is going to need more of this to reach his full potential of perennial all-star pic.twitter.com/MjR0H0FniS
— Pro Sports Outlook (@prosportoutlook) June 25, 2019
Giannis wont be forgetting this one anytime soon
pic.twitter.com/F6l5aTBLBw
— Pro Sports Outlook (@prosportoutlook) June 25, 2019
Irving is a ball dominant point guard. Which is fair considering he’s one of the best to ever handle a basketball. A lot of positives come from that, but with one big negative. Volume. Irving is known for having the mindset of a player who wants to take as any shots as possible, as long as HE thinks they’re good shots. Tatum and Brown need to get shots up early and often to help with development and especially confidence. A more defensive minded, passive point guard is a better fit in Beantown.
The on court production is obviously the most important aspect for a team, but locker room morale and presence can’t be undermined. The greatest teams are known to have, at minimum, a solid connection between each other. Irving’s relationship with the young guys never got anywhere. Terry Rozier had to “sacrifice [his] talent” playing alongside Irving while Tatum and Brown took a step back this year with the year-long addition of a ball-dominant, 19 FGA a game player. It was evident that Irving wanted this to be his team in and out, especially when it came down to the last shot in a two point game.
Imagine thinking Kyrie is coming back to Boston pic.twitter.com/MxRhjXz7UP
— Pro Sports Outlook (@prosportoutlook) June 25, 2019
Irving gets visibly upset after this game and from there, the snowball effect took place. The morale was never the same on the team and continued to take a hit as the season progressed. Irving not getting along with neither Brad Stevens nor Danny Ainge is just the icing on top. With Irving’s moody presence no longer lingering over the team atmosphere, the players in the locker room can each focus on stepping up their own game to lead this team to more promising heights.
In the two seasons that Irving has been a Celtic, the playoff results have been different to say the least. A similar opponent in the Bucks were approached, but this time with the addition of a superstar in Irving (and all-star in Hayward). Take a seven game grudge match in 2018 compared to a five game dragging in 2019 and one could guess who’s on each side. Fast forward from those early expectations and the facts are this:
Having a team buy into a system is huge in high intensity playoff games, and the Celtics simply didn’t have it against Milwaukee. The Pacers sweep is an anomaly due to the absence of star power post-Oladipo’s injury and the lack of talent equality among the two rosters. It was obvious for any Boston Celtics fan that something wasn’t right. Let’s not forget what happened in 2018:
Iconic moment. pic.twitter.com/PI0ASpyxBy
— Pro Sports Outlook (@prosportoutlook) June 25, 2019
The Celtics biggest x-factor to recovering from Irving’s absence right now is centered around getting as much as they can out of the $32M forward. The signing initially appeared to finally give Ainge and Stevens the man they truly wanted to head the ship alongside an all-star PG. The connection at Butler between Hayward and Stevens made it seem like the transition would be seamless. Injuries decided to turn the trajectory elsewhere, and it undoubtedly affected Irving’s long term plans. A report from Jackie MacMullan stated that Stevens was “force feeding him (Hayward)” and it became clear that Hayward came back earlier than he should have. Now with Irving gone, the use of Hayward is crucial in getting him back to his prime Utah Jazz days.
A lot of hope can be attested to the progress that Paul George has had coming back and being a dominant two way player. Getting that kind of MVP-caliber production from Hayward isn’t necessary, which is okay. He’s been integrated into the system now and with a whole off-season to work, a bounce back year is fully expected. Danny Ainge seems to have complete faith that the vet will have a great season.
Danny Ainge on Hayward next year: “I think Gordon is going to have a great year. He’s putting in as much work as anybody and we get to see it. I mean, he’s here a lot. I’m very excited for Gordon’s upcoming year.”
Boston, expect to see more of this. pic.twitter.com/4BVg3npATb— Pro Sports Outlook (@prosportoutlook) June 25, 2019
Successful team defense all starts with two important qualities: unity and trust. A team can have all of the athletic, strong and quick players in the world, but without that team unity and being able to trust one another, the defense will fall short of the ultimate goal. That playoff run in 2018 was based off grit, willingness and sacrifice. The Ewing theory, which proposes that teams are often better without their stars due to synergy and an increase in team-oriented play, was in full effect. In 2019, much of the season and the series against the Bucks was based off uncertainty, selfishness, and agony. Boston’s identity as having a defensive prowess among the best in the league evaporated once Irving joined the lineup. Irving never integrated himself in that with parts of the season looking as such:
Breakdown of a play in Game 3 of the Celtics vs Bucks series displaying poor defense by Kyrie pic.twitter.com/8VEzB6ZPTQ
— Pro Sports Outlook (@prosportoutlook) June 25, 2019
During the majority of the season Irving’s defense wasn’t a glaring issue, but when it mattered most it became a liability. When the leader doesn’t step up on the defensive end, it can spark a domino effect on the rest of the team. There were times where it seemed as if he was just going through the motions and not giving the full 100% that is expected. Despite Stevens earning the reputation of a defensive genius, Irving clearly wasn’t about it, and him no longer out there will lead to an improvement on the defensive end.
The future outlook for the Celtics is as obscure as it’s been since the Big 3 era. Many questions surround the once championship caliber roster now, with the inevitable departures of Kyrie and Horford. With the help of Danny Ainge acquiring picks, cap space to work with, and a nucleus of young talent that includes the trio of recently drafted Celtics, the imminent rebuild isn’t as painful as it may appear on the surface.
