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Kyrie Irving’s Biggest “Problem” With Jayson Tatum and “Loaded” Celtics Unveiled by Ex-All Star Teammate

Published 01/01/2024, 6:54 PM EST

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When there are too many ball-dominant players, each with All-Star caliber, the result can be either a beautiful medley of skilled performers playing off each other’s strengths—or complete confusion. And that’s what happened to Gordon Hayward and the squad of the Boston Celtics.

The 2018-19 run of Boston did not work out as well as everyone hoped. Joining Paul George on his Podcast P, Hayward gets honest about what went wrong.

Gordon Hayward gets honest about the failed Celtics 2018-19 run

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Paul George had a perfectly descriptive term for the pool of talent available in the Celtics – “loaded!” How else could one possibly describe the heavily stacked roster? Talking about the whole scenario, Hayward said that everyone had individual agendas to prove. He further goes on to elaborate on the “problem” that Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and the rest of the elite players faced.

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He says, “There was too many of us in the exact same position. We all needed the ball.” And for added measure, he reiterated, “We all like to have the ball.” While none of them, Hayward included, were great spot-up shooters, that still didn’t put them off from wanting the one basketball in their hands.

And that was exactly where the troubles arose. Each of them was trying to prove their merits. Gordon was just coming off of an All-Star season and desperate to prove he’s still one. Irving had been hurt the previous season and yet didn’t miss the playoffs. So he wanted to show the Celtics were still his team. While fresh off great previous seasons, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and even Terry Rozier all wanted to bring attention to their arrival in the NBA league.

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And then there was Smart. He believed that he should be the one starting and leading the team. With such diverse and drastically opposing personalities, who all had equally different goals in mind, had to come together; it was nothing short of chaos. Ultimately, their “agenda to win was not the main one.” 

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The elite squad of the Celtics’ squad wasn’t all that bad

Although there was never a “we” in the group, the skills such an elite roster boasts cannot go unnoticed. While their playoff run wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, the duo of Irving-Hayward still had a pretty neat season. More specifically, a solid 49-33 season.

It was after this failed run that Irving had made the move to the Brooklyn Nets. We all know how that went. One of the most controversial times for Kyrie Irving in the NBA. But the Celtics continued blossoming under the upcoming face of the franchise, Jayson Tatum. He, along with Jaylen Brown, is on the path of bringing the formidable dynasty to its former glory.

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Or at least, they are on the right path. Hopefully, the Tatum-Brown partnership can reap what it sowed this season with the duo’s first title!

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Written by:

Geisha Pulimoottil Don

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“Not only is there more to life than basketball, there’s a lot more to basketball than basketball” - Jackson had a simple philosophy when he was coaching the Lakers. He wanted everyone to succeed and grow in the service of something bigger than themselves. This is what struck me the most.
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Edited by:

Sameen Nawathe