Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens says the level of scrutiny point guard Kyrie Irving has received from Boston fans is high because he's such a talented player.
Irving ended his two-year run with the Celtics this past summer by signing with the Brooklyn Nets, the team he grew up rooting for while living in New Jersey as a kid.
Stevens says Irving's decision to go home is “something we all very much respect.”
Brad Stevens on Kyrie: “When you’re really really good at something, the level of scrutiny is even higher. … He’s a heck of a player and he gets to choose where he wants to go play. Gets to go home, I think that’s something that we all very much respect.”
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) November 27, 2019
Irving averaged 23.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.9 assists last season for the Celtics while shooting 48.7 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from beyond the arc and 87.3 percent from the free-throw line. He made the All-NBA second team, but he wasn’t able to lead Boston to a deep postseason run.
Had Irving suited up on Wednesday, he would have been heavily booed by the Celtics fans. Uncle Drew told Celtics fans before the 2018-19 season started he was planning on re-signing with Boston. Then, the passing of his grandfather happened and Irving became withdrawn from the team.
Both Stevens and Celtics president Danny Ainge have said Irving is a great player and person and that it just didn’t work out last season. The fans in Boston, though, will continue to hate Irving moving forward.
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