(Getty Images) Kyrie Irving Vs. Charlotte Hornets
The last time Kyrie Irving on the professional hardwood was on March 11, 2018, the 6’3 point guard logged just seven points, four rebounds, and one assist in a little under sixteen minutes of play in a 99-97 at-home loss to the Indiana Pacers. Before having his season cut short due to season-ending surgery, Irving was averaging impressive totals of 24.4 points per game on 49.1% shooting, and 5.1 assists per game.
Over a week later, Kyrie Irving underwent surgery on March 24th to remove a bothersome tension wire and two screws from his right knee. Originally, the five-time All-Star was provided a recovery timeline of three-to-six week to return to the Boston Celtics depending on how deep the team went into the 2017-18 NBA Playoffs. Unfortunately, Irving was forced to extend his recovery time to a total of four to five months on April 5th due to infection as revealed by the point guard in a heartfelt yet supportive message posted to his Instagram account.
Fortunately, the Celtics were able to make a deep playoff run led by a young Jason Tatum, Terry Rozier, and fiery supporting cast off the bench before being eliminated by Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a seven-game NBA Eastern Conference Finals series. If Kyrie was available during last year’s NBA Playoffs, there’s no limit to the possibilities of what the Boston Celtics could have achieved with their initial weapon as an option on the court.
Now, after six months of absence from the professional basketball realm, Kyrie Irving has officially made his return to the big stage in the form of the Boston Celtics’ first preseason game versus the Charlotte Hornets. Which just so happened to take place at Michael Jordan’s alma mater’s stomping grounds, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels Dean E. Smith Center.
Kyrie Maintains His Usual Fluid Motion
Analyzing Kyrie Irving’s mechanics during the initial minutes of the game, the point guard has maintained the fluid motion basketball enthusiasts have become accustomed to from Uncle Drew. There were plenty of flashes of Irving in rare form as he displayed his top-tier ball-handling skills, impressive ball distribution, and breakaway speed that forces opposing coaches to enforce zone defense.
However, there were some noticeable flaws in Kyrie’s performance in this initial NBA preseason offering.
Kyrie Suffers From Early Preseason Shooting Woes
As previously mentioned, Irving has been absent from the court for a little over six months and displayed some rusty shooting despite getting some decent looks from a wavering and undisciplined Charlotte Hornets defense. Kyrie shot a total of 4/10 from the field for nine points which might not be impressive but in perfect form unbothered by his once-ailing left knee, Celtics fans have nothing to worry about come the regular season.
Celtics Defense Remains In Good Form
Despite the new look Charlotte Hornets leading the Celtics 84-81 after three-quarters of preseason basketball and eventually stealing the game from Boston 104-97, the Celtics displayed an intense interior defensive presence as multiple players continuously gang blocked their opposition throughout the course of the entire game. Rozier showed off his ability to pester opposing guards while Kyrie himself exhibited his high basketball IQ on the defensive side of the ball keeping Kemba Walker at bay when they matched up.
With the Hornets taking on a new rapid-fire identity attempting to shoot the ball within 14 seconds of the shot clocks, the North Carolina-based ball club was able to keep up with a potential NBA Finals contender in the Celtics. With new options like Tony Parker and the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft in Miles Bridges, the Hornets have the opportunity to shake up the Eastern Conference.
As for Kyrie Irving, he appears to have maintained the technical aspects of his game which require him to make quick decisions with the ball, make agile, hard cuts, and handle the ball with insanely accurate precision despite a now two-time surgically repaired knee. The NBA community is glad to see Celtics’ leader back on the hardwood.