Kyrie Irving is ecstatic about coming to Boston


The trade has been finalized. Kyrie Irving is coming to Boston, and he is thrilled. So are most Celtics fans. Irving is an NBA champion and four-time all-star. And he has made it well know that he truly wants to be here.


Few would question Irving's offensive talents. But he certainly is not known for his defense. That can change and almost certainly will. Celtics Coach Brad Stevens preaches and demands defense from his players. And he makes players better. How good is Irving right now? In the article Kevin Durant calls Kyrie Irving a 6'3" Isaiah Thomas in CelticsLife.com, Odie Waukewan commented:

Is he right about Kyrie being a six-foot-three Isaiah? Yea, he kind of is. There are differences in the ways that they play, but realistically, they do the same things.

Well, okay! A 6'3" version of Isaiah Thomas sounds damn good to me. Besides obvious talent, two factors played a part in Danny Ainge's decision to go after Kyrie. Size and age. At 6'3" Irving has 6 inches on Isaiah Thomas, and in reality, it is probably more than that. At 25 years old he has yet to reach his peak. ESPN's Zach Lowe had this slant on the age factor and the Celtics timeline:

"Irving is just entering his prime. Boston wants to push LeBron now, and maybe make the NBA Finals if he goes west, but they really want to be the team of 2020 and beyond. Irving fits that timetable..."

The video below puts Irving's offensive talents and versatility on display. The entire arsenal is there. Defense can be learned and practiced. All it takes is a good teacher and a receptive student. I believe Brad and Kyrie fit those two respective roles.



How will Kyrie Irving fit into the Celts system? He is tired of being a sidekick and wants to be main focus on a team. Does that work on the Celtics? Both Al Horford and Gordon Hayward are low-key guys. They are team players who let their play on the court do their talking for them. They don't need the spotlight.

But Kyrie's comment from today's Celtics press conference (Friday, September 1, 2017) tells it best.
(via WKYC's Ben Axelrod) "The teams get remembered more than the players" Is Kyrie really ecstatic to be coming here? In the same press conference he said he cursed twice and ran out on the street to Atlanta when he learned the trade finally went through. Irving also admitted that Brad Stevens' offensive system was a big reason why he favored coming to the Celtics.

So yes, it can work. Kyrie can even become the face of the franchise. But his play on the court needs to speak for him. This young star is ecstatic about joining the Celtics. That is a great beginning. Another title will speak much louder than any one player.

Top Kyrie Irving photo via Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Video credit: The Highlight Factory

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