By Justin Batiste
What does Kyrie Irving’s season ending injury do for the Celtics in the playoffs?
Hearing that Boston’s point guard, Kyrie Irving is done for the rest of the season has to be some of the most depressing news in the NBA thus far. Irving and the Celtics were playing their best basketball. To some, they were even favorites to make it to the Finals. Irving was having a MVP type season, and the Celtics were first in the East. Now, the Celtics will be entering the playoffs with two of their biggest off-season acquisitions sidelined due to injury.
However, all isn’t bad. The absence of Irving and Gordon Hayward will only make the fans of Boston enjoy watching their team even more next season. Now we get to see how these up and coming players who have been playing so well all season perform without their leaders. Players like Terry Rozier, Shane Larkin, Semi Ojeleye, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will get the opportunity to show what they’re made of. Mainly, Brown and Tatum. These two are supposed to be the future of the Celtics franchise. So, it’s going to be intriguing to see how these young players respond when they’re called upon.
When the playoffs are all set and done, Boston will be satisfied with the effort the Celtics put forth in the playoffs. Although, the Celtics aren’t a Finals contender anymore. This still can be a good start going into next season. This is a sound Celtics team. They’ve been holding their own without Irving in the line-up for part of the season by only dropping to second in the East seedings. After gaining playoff experience this year without Irving and Hayward, and then next season inserting the two back into the line-up, this Celtics team will be an even more serious Finals contender come playoff time next season.
Boston’s season isn’t over. The growth that they’re about to see from these young players will somewhat take away from the bitterness of losing Irving right before the playoffs. This is a setback for a strong season next year. The Celtics should still be a team to watch out for in the playoffs. This year’s playoffs will give us a glimpse of how bright the Celtics future will be.
