In LeBron James' second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he and Kyrie Irving led them to one championship in three consecutive NBA Finals appearances. With the duo enjoying immediate success, Irving's trade request shocked the basketball world as the Cavaliers eventually traded him to the Boston Celtics.
While most players want to play with James, Irving is looking to take the next step in his career. According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN, Paul Pierce believes Irving is going to be the team's new first option despite signing Gordon Hayward:
“He’s going to be the guy,” Pierce said. “He has championship experience. He’s still young and he’s got some other guys to play with.”
Pierce believes the 25-year-old is ready for this new role after learning from James over the last three seasons:
“He was ready for this type of role, to be the lead guy,” Pierce said. “He’s learned a lot under LeBron’s tutelage. He’s ready to share that with his teammates and possibly bring another championship to Boston.”
Heading into the new season, Irving will have plenty of help with Hayward and Al Horford along with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. However, it will take time for the Celtics to build team chemistry as they only have four players returning from last season.
As there will be plenty of storylines, one of the biggest ones will be if Irving can lead his team past James and the Cavaliers. Both teams are expected to meet in the Eastern Conference Finals again, but fortunately for basketball fans, they will meet in the 2017-18 season opener on Oct. 17 at Quicken Loans Arena.
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