Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics recently fell to the Charlotte Hornets in their pre-season opener. Despite the 104-97 loss, this game was more importantly about Irving — as well as teammate Gordon Hayward — getting a good run with their team following a summer spent recovering from their respective injuries.
According to Irving, what he does in his pre-game routine is a significant indicator of how far along he has gotten in his road to recovery. In fact, it appears that the 26-year-old is set to make some changes in his routine coming into his second season with the C's.
“It’s figuring out what works best for you,” said Irving, via Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. “My routine has been pretty much the same for eight straight years, but now it’s time to do things to better suit my body.”
Entering his eighth season in the league, Irving believes that now would be an opportune time to tweak his routine to further benefit his game.
“I feel pretty much that everyone has their routine. Mine will probably change up this season to suit me getting ready,” Irving said. “I’ll be here a little earlier, get my treatment a little earlier, be on the court earlier, prepare for a game that way.”
Irving also shared how additional pre-game treatment has hindered him from being a full participant in warm-ups, and how he wants to make the necessary adjustments this term.
“I can run out with the guys on time,” he said. “I got tired of going out to shoot, get cold, and then have to get warm again. That change in terms of my career is pretty important, just doing things better suited to preparing for the game instead of just my warmup. You see how maniacal I am about my warmup. I (want to) run out with my teammates and be ready for it.”
Irving spending a lot of time thinking and talking about this just proves how critical pre-game warmups can be for players. Hopefully, the changes Irving intends to implement will contribute to a more injury-free season this time around.
Follow Us
Subscribe