I've gained a lot of appreciating for Kyrie since he joined the Celts.
I used to detest him, when he was on the Cavs. A lot of that was personal bias, of course, since I really disliked the Cavs.
I saw him as a guy who was famous because he played with LeBron, had a lot of fancy dribble moves which he used too much instead of playing within the flow his team's offense, and because he hit a historic jumpshot against Golden State in the Finals.
I think he's grown a lot since he joined the C's, though. He seems well suited to be the face of a franchise and to be the leader on and off the court. He's playing on a team with a real coaching staff and offensive system, and it's working well for him.
To me he's a top 10 player, neck and neck with Dame Lillard for the best guard in the league behind Curry and Harden.
I'm looking forward to seeing him do his assassin act in the playoffs for the first time wearing a Celts uniform.
TP. I 100% agree with this. I'll also add that he looks so much better on the defensive end. No, he won't completely lockdown other players (though to be fair not many players can), but like Curry he can be disruptive on defense and is showing a lot of hustle (also with rebounding). You didn't see that with him or frankly anyone in CLE.
Kyrie will absolutely help this team with his assasin act, especially in the road playoff games IMO. I know theoretically we want to win all games with the team basketball and ball movement, but you also need a guy who can "take you home" in close games and Kyrie can do that (like Leonard, Lebron, Curry, Durant, etc.)
Baynes is the only player on this team with a ring and I think he could also be a huge asset not just as a rotation big but giving guys advice/veteran experience for the playoffs as this time around we're hopefully healthy.
Rozier was fantastic last April-May but it was evident how phenomenal he was at home but poor on the road (except for just 1 game). Kyrie is consistent almost anywhere (even road).