Kyrie Irving had an injury-riddled season with the Boston Celtics last year. But that did not seem to hamper his relationship with Brad Stevens as the Celtics head coach says that Irving is indeed one of the smartest players he has ever been around.

Jay King of The Athletic posted Stevens' bold statement on his Twitter account.

Stevens hasn't been around the NBA for a very long time, but people already predict that he will end up being one of the greatest coaches that the league has seen. He has unexpectedly led the Celtics to greater heights ever since he was signed by the team in 2013.

On the other hand, Irving endured a regretful ending to his first season with the green and white, missing out on the Celtics' impressive playoff run. Still, Stevens has seen enough of Irving to conclude that the 6-foot-3 point guard is up there in terms of court smarts.

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In an introductory press conference for Irving last year, the Celtics star knew what separates a great player from a good one. Scott Sauza of Metro Daily News wrote an article about Kyrie's statements.

“A true tell-tale sign of a great player is how they integrate themselves into a new system,” he said as training camp began, “with new guys, and still be themselves at the same time. It’s a hard adjustment. But at the same time the special ones are able to do it.”

An incredible scorer and a ball-handling wiz, Irving is aware that it takes more than physical abilities to make his mark as a great basketball player.

The Celtics are primed to become the top dogs of the Eastern Conference this upcoming season. Irving will become a free agent come 2019, though, and it's interesting to see how his relationship with Stevens affect his next career move.