By Liam McKeone
As they were both introduced for the first time as members of the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving turned to Gordon Hayward and said, “It’s about to be crazy, G.” After this whirlwind of an offseason, Celtics fans feel the same way.
Trading Isaiah Thomas (IT) was an emotional blow from the North Shore all the way down to the Cape; he was as loved as any Celtic in history, and turned in one of the most remarkable seasons in basketball history last year. However, basketball-wise, the trade should be a dream come true for Boston. IT was key to the team last year, along with Jae Crowder, and they’re now both in Cleveland. But Danny Ainge made sure their losses weren’t in vain, and somehow managed to improve a team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, despite keeping only four of the players that made it happen.
Kyrie Irving is now a Celtic, and he is, in case anyone forgot, Kyrie Irving. He’s not only a taller and more skilled version of IT, he’s one of the best ball-handlers in the league, and he can finish at the rim at an astonishing rate. The dude is a legit superstar, and he’s only 25 years old. His potential is endless. He can already score, but his assist numbers and defensive effort both need a lot of work. Fortunately, he’s no longer playing for Tyronn Lue, who works harder to manage LeBron’s ego than he does to actually coach.
Instead, he’s playing for wunderkind Brad Stevens, recognized as one of the top coaches around the league. We’ve seen what Stevens can do with cast-offs and forgotten role players; IT was a glorified sixth man before turning into a legit MVP candidate, Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley developed into two of the best 3&D players in the league and even Jordan Crawford, who played in China for most of the last four years, was an Eastern Conference Player of the Week under Stevens. He gets the absolute best out of his players, and now he has more talent than he’s ever had in his coaching career.
Of course, this is all without mentioning Gordon Hayward, who is probably the best free agent to ever sign in Boston. He’ll be a great all-around player for Stevens just like he was at Butler, and has no real holes in his game. He can score, shoot from deep, rebound and play solid defense. He’s an excellent complement for Kyrie, and the two will make for a dangerous pick-and-roll pairing.
These two acquisitions, along with Al Horford and the development of Boston’s young guys in Jaylen Brown and now Jayson Tatum, make the Celtics serious contenders. Yeah, they still play with LeBron in the East and he doesn’t look to be relinquishing the throne anytime soon. But, especially in the weakest Eastern Conference seen in years, there’s no better bet than Boston. It’s hard to imagine them taking down the monstrous juggernaut that is Golden State, but once they get to June, anything can happen. Banner No. 18 might be coming to Boston sooner than anyone thinks.
