(Getty Images) Kyrie Irving Vs. Charlotte Hornets
The Boston Celtics had much higher expectations than this. After the departure of Lebron James from the Eastern Conference, the star-studded Boston team seemed a shoo-in to take the top spot in the East, all but claiming a spot in the Conference Finals (if not the NBA Finals) before the season even began.
But, as with a few other teams in the league, the Celtics’ start has been rocky. They’re 7-6 on the season and currently rank at #6 in the East, behind the Hornets, Pacers, 76ers, Bucks, and Raptors–all of whom are having impressive starts that have taken everyone, maybe most of all the Celtics, by surprise.
Kyrie Irving Thinks a Veteran Could Help the Team
GettyJayson Tatum is one of the Celtics’ best players and a league standout. He’s also only 20 years old.
Kyrie Irving commented after last night’s loss against the Trailblazers, where he scored 21 points in 32 minutes, that the team could use a veteran presence to help the team pace itself and keep their eyes on the big picture.
“Right now I think it would be nice if we had someone that was a 15-year vet, a 14-year vet that could kind of help us race along the regular season and understand it’s a long marathon rather than just a full-on sprint,” he told reporters.
The comment has drawn some spurn from fans who remember all too well Kyrie’s departure from LeBron James’ Cleveland team, seemingly wanting to make it on his own without a vet. But maybe he just wanted to make it without LeBron James–a different vet would be a nice addition at this point; someone just as experienced but not so dominant.
And it’s true, this Boston team is young. Only two of its players are over 30–Aron Baynes and Al Horford–and its best players are almost all in their early 20s, the exceptions being Gordon Hayward and Marcus Morris, who are 28 and 29, respectively.
Kyrie didn’t specify exactly who he had in mind to bring some veteran perspective to the team, but that approach is certainly helping the Lakers right now. They just added 36-year-old vet Tyson Chandler to their roster, and they’re seemingly thriving for the first time this season.
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