The Young Guys May Need Kyrie’s Absence To Improve

The Boston Celtics won 55 games last season and if not for a season-ending injury to Kyrie Irving, the Celtics would have earned the top seed in the East. However, even with Irving out, the Celtics still managed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, and did so with a rookie in Jayson Tatum, a solid veteran in Horford, a young guard in  Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, and the surprise star — Rozier.

What has to be taken into account is that Hayward missed the entire season and still, the Celtics were one of the best teams in the league. Now, what Ainge has to consider is the growth of not only Rozier but Brown, Tatum, and Smart. While Smart just signed a new deal, the Celtics’ main core is still young, much like the 76ers. If Ainge were to trade Irving, this would open the door for either Smart or Rozier to get the starting nod in his absence, which is not a bad trade-off.

One of the biggest issues surrounding Irving over his career, other than his lack of assists, is that he’s injury-prone. Over the seven years he’s been in the NBA, Kyrie Irving has never played more than 75 games in the regular season. I can understand the “rest” issue, but even as a freshman at Duke University, Irving was in street clothes the vast majority of the time. His heath can’t be trusted.

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