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Kyrie Irving’s Defense More Important than Offense Right Now

By Joshua Bateman

MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 28: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics gestures during the game against the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena on October 28, 2017 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 28: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics gestures during the game against the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena on October 28, 2017 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /
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Kyrie Irving is proving to be far from a defensive liability for the Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics traded for Kyrie Irving knowing that they would be getting one of the most talented offensive players in the NBA, with the kind of skills that are close to unmatched in the history of this game.

The flip side was that most people did not believe Irving could be a positive defender. Whether it was ability or effort, Irving struggled on defense with the Cavaliers, and no one was expecting him to have a big impact in that phase of the game.

Right now, not only is Irving a positive defender for the Celtics, but it is actually overshadowing his offense.

Keep in mind, this is not to say that Irving’s offense has been bad. He has been quite good for the Celtics, and that last game against the Heat is one of what should be many occasions where Irving wins a game because of his unstoppable offensive skills.

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Irving still has been one of the best offensive players in the league for the Celtics, but his standards are on another level right now. Irving has not done anything that was not expected of him, and we are still at a point where improvement is expected.

Irving still needs to get comfortable with the players around him, and he still needs to figure out how to instigate the kind of ball movement like the team had a season ago.

Irving is not a better defensive player than he is an offensive player, but his defense has been more important early on this season. Irving is making all the effort plays you could ask for, he knows where he needs to be, and he is proving that he is not a matchup that can just be attacked.

All the metrics back him up too. His defensive rating is at a solid 97 and he has a +2 in the defensive box plus minus. The Celtics have been a better defensive team with Irving on the court, and that overall defense is the biggest reason why this team is winning games right now.

Irving is not the best defender, but he is going to be almost as important as anyone else this season. We will see if he can keep this up, but Irving has been doing more than just his expected job so far on defense, and the Celtics need that from all their players as the offense struggles.

We know that Irving’s defensive floor is much lower than his offensive floor. The Celtics can accept Irving not being at his absolute best on offense at all times, because he is good enough to get wins by not performing at that highest level.

Defense, however, is another story. One of the most important parts of this Celtics defense so far is that there is no individual that can be attacked. The Celtics are not putting defensive liabilities on the floor, and that allows everything to function and work better together.

Irving can have that offensive drop off, and still be the best offensive player on the court. If he suffers a defensive lapse, and struggles on that end, then teams will be able to abuse him and break down much of their defensive success.

The Celtics thought that they were going to have to figure out ways to make up for Irving’s defense. Instead, Irving’s defense is making up for a lot of their other problems.

Brad Stevens deserves some of the credit too. It is not a coincidence that every player he gets his hands on starts making the hustle and effort plays any chance they get. Irving is clearly putting in the effort on defense, and is looking to make plays any chance he can get.

We are now starting to see that Irving really does have the ability to be a good defender. He may not be getting anywhere near any defensive player of the year kind of status, but he could round out into one of the most complete two way point guards in the NBA.

Irving’s top potential with the Celtics will always be on offense. We have seen so much brilliance from him on that end, and he has spoken about growing and becoming a more complete offensive player. At just 25 years old, there is plenty of time for that to become a reality.

For now, the Celtics are able to accept the overall disappointing offense from the team, and one of the biggest reasons why is because of how Irving, and many others, have blown away expectations on defense.

Next: Stevens Already Building Great COY Campaign

The Celtics are setting themselves up to be a defensive power house, and if that is established by the time the offense comes together, then people will realize this Celtics season is far from lost to injuries.

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