Boston Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum says Kyrie Irving gets too much undeserved blame for what happened last season.
Before the 2018-19 season started, the Celtics were picked to win the East easily. However, Boston was dysfunctional from start to finish and Irving got most of the blame from the fans and media.
Tatum, who is still close with Irving, says the Celtics' shortcomings in the 2018-19 season can’t be solely placed on Irving’s shoulders.
“It's not Kyrie's fault,” Tatum told Maria Taylor of ESPN. “It's 15 guys on that team and coaches and front office. Everybody played a part in that. I feel like he get a lot of blame, undeserved blame. He's a great person. We still have a great relationship. He helped me out a lot, on and off the court.”
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 on a deep postseason run.
The Celtics lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2019 playoffs in five games. Irving decided to leave the team in free agency and signed a four-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets this past summer, ending his two-year run in Boston.
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