The Celtics’ season is over. After losing 116-91 to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Celtics have been eliminated from the postseason. Losing 4-1 in only the second round clearly wasn’t what anyone predicted back in September. The fact that the Celtics were only one game away from the NBA Finals last season brought very high expectations for them this season. Returning Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward after they missed the last postseason due to injury really had the fans and media thinking that Boston could potentially win 60 games.
That wasn’t the case. It’s only the beginning of May, and the Celtics couldn’t even make it past the second round. With Boston out of the playoffs, all eyes are on the pending free agency of their best player, Kyrie Irving. Irving was traded to Boston with the hopes of coming out of the shadow of LeBron James and finally being “the man” on a championship team. After being second fiddle in Cleveland, Irving apparently couldn’t take it anymore. But, nevertheless, whatever Irving thought was going to happen did not.
Kyrie’s 2019 Postseason
This postseason was Irving’s first as a Celtic. In Boston’s first-round series against the Indiana Pacers, Irving averaged 22.5 points and 7.3 assists while shooting 42.7% from the field and 42.3% from 3PT. Those alone are subpar stats if we’re talking Kyrie Irving, but the Celtics accomplished the sweep nonetheless, so you can say talks surrounding his performance weren’t really had. In the second round, the Celtics lost in five games to the Bucks. Kyrie averaged an even more subpar 20.4 points and 6.4 assists. Even more so, Irving shot 35.6% from the field and 21.9% from behind the arc.
To say the least, Kyrie Irving was atrocious in the playoffs this year. Irving, who was formerly one half of the best duo in the NBA at a point, simply didn’t show up. We all know the greatness of Kyrie Irving, but he simply was not a good fit for the Celtics this season. The fact that he ran his mouth about things that he should’ve kept to himself is something that compromised the Celtics. Kyrie came to Boston to be the man, and he wasn’t/isn’t. He can’t be the best player on a championship team. This leads me to his free agency.
Free Agency
Now that the Celtics’ season is done, Irving is onto his free agency. As a player who’s going to be one of the more sought after free agents in the NBA this year, there are many teams vying for his services. These teams reportedly include the Knicks, Clippers, and Nets. However, Kyrie needs to win and not as the best player on the team. The only team Kyrie Irving should go to is the Los Angeles Lakers. Why? Because he’ll have the opportunity to reunite with the best player in the world, LeBron James.
Based on the way Irving runs his mouth, and the way he’s provided for the Celtics, it’s safe to say that he NEEDS LeBron James. The Celtics were a team not full of superstars, but in fact, a bunch of really good players. In Cleveland, the only players there for Irving to work off of were LeBron James and Kevin Love.
Lucky enough, the big three in Cleveland was just enough to propel the Cavaliers to three straight finals appearances. But, in Cleveland, knowing that Irving had significantly worse talent than Boston currently has, it was easier for him to go to work. That’s largely in part to having a player like LeBron James by his side. Irving wanted to be the man. That alone is a huge reason why being the second option to LeBron is the best thing for him.
Kyrie’s Postseason Success With LeBron
Looking back at the numbers, Irving’s career highs in points, 3PT percentage, and free throw percentage all came with LeBron James by his side. James makes his teammates better, and that certainly meant more than points for Irving. Kyrie (with the help of LeBron) was only 23 years old playing valuable minutes in the NBA Finals. In the 2015-16 season, he averaged 25.2 points on 48% shooting. In his first postseason with the (hyped up) Boston Celtics, he only played nine games.
In the previously mentioned season with the Cavaliers, he played a whopping 21 games. The difference? LeBron James. There’s no argument that talent-wise, this year’s Celtics are better than the Cavaliers were in 2016-17. There’s nothing to excuse how LeBron James elevates Kyrie’s game. The next year in the following postseason, Kyrie stepped it up again. In route to 18 games and another NBA Finals appearance, Kyrie averaged a playoff career-high 26 points on a career-high 51.2% inside the arc. This was done, once again, with LeBron by his side.
LeBron Makes Kyrie Better
It’s easy to dispute my claims by saying LeBron, in fact, didn’t do much to affect Kyrie’s game. That’s just not true. Being a first or second option on a championship caliber team truly makes a difference. Do you think Kyrie would’ve notched those numbers if it was the same Cavaliers’ rosters excluding LeBron? No. Watching LeBron and Kyrie on the same team together made it clear that the game was easier for Irving. He had better stats, more time to operate, and the opportunity to show how much of a bad man in crunch time he is. We can turn to the 2016 NBA Finals Game 7 shot that saw Kyrie Irving hit a fade-away three-pointer over Warriors PG Stephen Curry to give the Cavaliers a 92-89 lead with 53 seconds left.
Irving needs to reunite with LeBron. The best moments of his career came with “The King” by his side. As we could all see from Irving’s perspective, being the man is harder than it looks. Why not continue to be the clutch, flashy, and overall elite player you are, but with a former/still elite player as well. LeBron is showing no signs of slowing down, averaging 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists this season.
LeBron Needs Kyrie Too
There are more than enough reasons as to why Kyrie Irving needs to reunite with LeBron. However, LeBron may need Kyrie more than you think.
Lakers’ Dysfunctional Off-Season
The Lakers are in the middle of a franchise crisis. They’ve recently ended all negotiations with Tyronn Lue who was potentially the next HC for Los Angeles. It was reported that because of his problems with Lakers’ senior basketball adviser Kurt Rambis, talks broke down. Nevertheless, the Conference Finals are close to their start, and the Lakers are still without a coach. Going back in time, Magic Johnson resigned from his position as the Lakers’ President of Basketball Operations just last month.
If you’re Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, or even Klay Thompson, why would you want to come to the Lakers? It’s bad enough that players already don’t want to be in the shadow of LeBron James. Now, the Lakers have even more problems. With no star executive to reel free agents in, a head coach, or a sight of a promising future, the Lakers are one of the least-appealing free agent destinations. If we’re being honest, the Lakers may just be relying on the great weather and Hollywood opportunities to bring star players to Los Angeles.
If there’s anything we know about LeBron, it’s that he does NOT like to lose, but that’s the case for every athlete. With these star free agents becoming less and less likely to sign with the Lakers, there are limited options in terms of pieces to bring to Los Angeles. Why not Kyrie Irving.
Why LeBron Needs Kyrie
If LeBron isn’t enough to reel in star free agents than this is where LeBron will need Kyrie. Irving is the only marquee free agent that truly knows the way LeBron plays in terms of his tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. Irving even called James to apologize for the way he acted in his younger years playing with him.
LeBron with Kyrie would, once again, create one of the league’s most feared duos. Looking at it now, the Lakers’ young assets make up a way more talented team than any we saw in Cleveland when Irving and James were on the roster. One can only imagine what carnage they can do in the Western Conference with Golden State’s “Hamptons 5” heading towards a breakup.
We can’t forget the magic that Kyrie Irving and LeBron James made on the basketball court. Three years in Cleveland together, three NBA Finals, three 50+ win seasons, and one NBA Championship. Kyrie and LeBron were one of the best duos I’ve personally seen in my lifetime. It was shortlived. With Kyrie’s legacy in doubt and LeBron missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006, Uncle Drew must reunite with King James in the “City of Angels” and make the Lakers Los Angeles’ number one team.