Most people view Kyrie Irving‘s two-year stay with the Celtics as a huge disappointment, and the guard’s relationship with the team and its supporters is still strained. For a brief while, though, he was so outstanding in Boston that Jayson Tatum thought he was the greatest player in the history of the league.
In an interview with Jeff Teague’s Club 520 podcast, Tatum remembered how, in his early Celtic days, he was astounded by Irving’s skill set and influence. The forward recalled how the former Cavaliers player placed the team on his back when he was a rookie in the eight-time All-player’s first season in Boston.
Jayson said : “We lost our first two games. Gordon got hurt, opening night, that was like tragic. We lost to Cleveland, played back-to-back, lost to Milwaukee. I was like this was gonna be a tough year. We won 16 games straight and that’s when I was like Kyrie might be the best player I have ever seen.”
Kyrie Irving’s season that convinced Jayson Tatum he’s the best
In November 2017, Irving averaged 24.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, allaying fears that the Celtics’ season might collapse following Hayward’s injury. Before sustaining a season-ending left knee injury in March 2018, he guided them to a 46-21 record.
Boston finished as the second seed and had an incredible run to the Conference Finals, where they were defeated 4-3 by LeBron James and the Cavaliers, despite the guard’s absence. They finished fourth in the standings and lost to the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs the next season, which was a letdown.
To the chagrin of Celtics supporters, Irving inked a free agent contract with the Nets. Tatum has no animosity for his old teammate.
