Milwaukee Bucks Game Preview: Oct. 26 vs Boston Celtics
By Adam McGee
Major key for Boston – Get Kyrie Irving going
The Boston Celtics certainly haven’t had an easy run to start the season, as the challenge of integrating so many new players has only been magnified by a tough schedule and the injury to Gordon Hayward.
Still, one of the noticeable early trends for Boston has been Kyrie Irving’s inability to hit top form. Through four games as a Celtic, Irving is averaging 20.0 points, 6.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game on just 37.5 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent from deep.
Those numbers certainly aren’t all that bad by most players’ standards, but Irving is one of the league’s best and is now playing for a team who desperately needs him to put them on his back. A settling in period was inevitable, but the changing circumstances mean that Boston needs Irving to snap into his groove sooner rather than later.
The Celtics have been getting the kind of well-rounded performances they’re going to need without Hayward, but it’s fair to question whether the current contributions of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier are sustainable.
Boston needs an extra boost at the top-end every night, and on Thursday they’ll be hoping to invoke Kyrie Irving at his best to avoid a second early season loss to one of their biggest conference rivals.