Arguably, the Celtics have the most talented roster in the league today. They have some bench players that are easily a starter for any NBA team. However, instead of capitalising this advantage, they are struggling heavily. There is a myriad of reasons why they can’t seem to gel, although they have played 43 games already. The return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward had an effect on their rotation and personal issues as reported in the past is taking a toll on their team.
Kyrie Irving’s brilliance hurting the Celtics
Without a doubt, Kyrie Irving is one of the greatest players we have today.
The former Cavalier is now regarded by past and present players as a force to reckon with. Kyrie, as stated by NBA legends, is a walking scoring machine. He has the innate ability to penetrate any defence and will create the best shot for his team. The only problem is, there’s some conflict with the team. Brad Stevens is known for maximising players regardless if they are part of the starting lineup or the last man on the bench. However, he must recognise that Kyrie needs the ball, especially during crunch time.
The past two games went from bad to ugly for the Celtics. Not only did they lose badly, but their brewing issues were also magnified. After the game, Irving lashed out about the last play against Orlando and also called out his teammates.
Kobe Bryant said it best that there will be conflicts and issues that will arise if you keep your eyes on the prize. The thirst for being a champion, being a winner, is taking a toll on Kyrie and it is greatly affecting the Celtics. Irving wants to lead the team, but he isn’t fully accepted by his peers.
Young nucleus not clicking
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier made a name for themselves during last year's playoffs, however, they have been a shell of themselves due to rotation issues and playing time. Tatum might have had a breakout game yesterday against the Nets but they were blown out of the gym as early as 3rd quarter.
Jaylen Brown has been inconsistent and the spat between him and Marcus Morris during the Miami Heat game says a lot about the Celtics. Then there’s Terry Rozier. The former first-round pick of the Boston Celtics showed last year why he should be a starting point guard in any team.
With that said, there were suggestions from several analysts that “Scary Terry” might be far better to lead the Celtics rather than Kyrie Irving. This is also widely accepted by some players but then again, they were wrong. For those who haven’t watched the game yesterday, it is visible to see that Terry and the rest of the guys seem to be after their “numbers”. Kyrie is often questioned about his defence, but their backyard yesterday is just downright awful.
How many times has DRuss passed Rozier with ease?
How about Harris going to the basket against a more athletic Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum? Talent is not the biggest problem of the Celtics, but lack of will and passion for the game is. There are 39 games left this season and they should show better performance than their previous two.
