Getting to know you all
Irving still fitting his way onto C’s
As an elite defender on an elite defensive team, Marcus Smart is uniquely suited to talk about his new teammate, Kyrie Irving. From Smart’s perspective, Irving’s move to the Celtics took a load off his mind — he only has to guard Irving in practice now.
“Relaxing. You ain’t got to run around as much,” Smart said. “That guy, and the things he can do with the ball, forces you to be on your P’s and Q’s at all times. Definitely one of the hardest people in the NBA to guard, so having him on your team helps a lot.”
Irving’s own view of becoming a Celtic is still developing. Though he demands the primary closer’s role on his own playoff contender — he was as much LeBron James’ wingman as closer in Cleveland — there’s still a lot Irving believes he has to learn as a Celtic.
“This was going to be new from all aspects of my game, from the minutes, offense, defense, workload, leadership standpoint,” said Irving. “When it’s so new you just have to really be patient and know a lot of the answers aren’t go- ing to be afforded you right then and there, to feel like you’re all the way yourself, because you’re so new and there’s a lot to figure out.
“I see that as a challenge and I want to take advantage of that, just learning so much on the fly and learning so much myself within the game. I’ve had a great time doing that with the individuals here and the organization.”
Irving does indeed seem to be feeling his way along every night, while also putting up major scoring and playmaking numbers, like his 20-point, seven-assist, six-rebound performance in Thursday’s win over Philadelphia in London. The Celtics, who extended their league-leading win streak to seven games, have more wins (34) than any team, and have the NBA’s second-best record behind Golden State.
Irving’s own growth as Celtics leader probably won’t be complete until Gordon Hayward becomes part of the mix, whether that’s in the playoffs or on the team’s expected time frame at the start of next season.
Al Horford understands it all, because his own transition is still in progress after arriving last season. He admittedly didn’t find a rhythm until the playoffs last season.
“Everybody goes through that,” said Horford. “Last year people kept asking me, ‘Are you comfortable? Are things good?’ And it took me all season, really, until the playoffs to really find my way. With a new team that’s what happens.
“(Irving is) so talented, and coach puts him in positions where he’s going to be successful, but when he really, really figures it out and gets comfortable, and we get comfortable with him, you’re gonna see his game go up even more.”
Asked if he can imagine what the Celtics will look like with a fully integrated Irving, Horford said, “I have no idea. There’s a chance we can be a very special group, but we need to get everybody together and keep working.”
And that will take time, according to Irving.
“Absolutely an ongoing process,” he said. “I was in an organization for six years, and got to know it in and out, and I’ve been here for four months. That should tell you the kind of perspective I’ve been living in on a day-to-day basis. I’m just appreciative. There’s so much learning going on.”
That stretch of time — four months — resonates with the man most responsible with enhancing Irving’s role as a Celtic.
“Four-and-a-half (months) since the trade,” said coach Brad Stevens. “He’s done a great job, but the one thing I don’t think you can do is rush some of these things. You have to get to know each other and learn what each other does well. We’ve made some tweaks that were positive after Gordon’s injury, and then there are some things we’ll throw out because they didn’t work as well with our guys. Us all getting to know each other is not just one guy.
“But as far as Kyrie’s transition, I can’t imagine anything smoother with his ability to impact the game, and yet we still have a long way to go with our whole team. We haven’t tried to rush things you can’t rush.”
As a result, Irving believes he’s only part way up the Celtics learning curve.
“I don’t think it’s surprising,” said Smart. “Kyrie, like everyone else, is a student of the game, and he’s constantly trying to get better. For him to come to this team and blend in so well speaks a lot about him, and also speaks about him that he thinks he has to get better.”
And just what, exactly, would that look like? Smart shook his head.
“I can’t project it, it’s out of my control. Only Kyrie knows,” he said.