Zach Lowe Weighs In On Kyrie-to-Boston

[Big333223]

Lowe's first piece back from vacation is all about how Kyrie will fit in Boston. A nice breakdown.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20501557/zach-lowe-celtics-cavaliers-kyrie-irving-isaiah-thomas-trade-nba

Tilt his game a bit toward pull-up 3s and playmaking, and Irving could be special. Boston is right to bet on its ability to coax Irving there. He's still young; he will mature. Stevens is a genius. Horford is one of the game's best passing big men, and the Celtics empower him in ways the Cavs rarely afforded Love.

They will likely start Horford at center, opening up the floor for Irving's drive-and-kick game. He and Hayward might form a fun pick-and-roll combination after Irving put in some reps with LeBron. (Hayward posting up mismatches on switches is one of the final frontiers in his game.)

And when a playoff defense is strangling Boston as the shot clock dwindles, they now have one of the league's greatest one-on-one scorers to conjure something from nothing. That skill matters so much more in the playoffs. Boston's offense fell to around league average during the last seven seconds of the shot clock last season, per NBA.com.

Boston paid a lot to get Irving -- in theory too much, considering rival offers. Cleveland may still ask for more. Irving isn't worth it right now. Boston isn't crazy to think he will be soon.

[KGBirdBias]

If people thought the pick & roll with IT was good with Horford. The pick & roll with Irving and Horford will be even more deadly.

I think the thing I'm most concerned about is our assists. We have more one on one players now and I'm sure Stevens will be preaching moving the ball and not letting it stick.

[celticinorlando]

This just needs to get done. They need to move forward with Kyrie or figure out how to replace a damaged IT who is going to miss time this season one way or the other.

[billysan]

If people thought the pick & roll with IT was good with Horford. The pick & roll with Irving and Horford will be even more deadly.

I think the thing I'm most concerned about is our assists. We have more one on one players now and I'm sure Stevens will be preaching moving the ball and not letting it stick.

Yeah IT bought into the Brad  ball movement scheme for the most part but Hayward and Kyrie both are ISO capable players that will need to be sold. Horford will help with this I think. The good thing is we have multiple guys who can get us late buckets, get to the free throw line and score on broken plays.

[gouki88]

If people thought the pick & roll with IT was good with Horford. The pick & roll with Irving and Horford will be even more deadly.

I think the thing I'm most concerned about is our assists. We have more one on one players now and I'm sure Stevens will be preaching moving the ball and not letting it stick.

I'm not sure about this, to be honest.

Morris is a significant upgrade in terms of passing over Amir, and Hayward is a big upgrade over Jae. Kyrie will probably have an uptick in assists, due to him no longer having to defer much of the playmaking to LeBron, and Bradley wasn't a noteworthy playmaker at all.

I think we'll be fine.

[jpotter33]

Good article, though I would've liked him to discuss the defensive positives that Kyrie brings over IT, too. After all of the IT targeting on defense during the playoffs, which cost us a significant amount of points, I think this fact is not being discussed enough.

Kyrie is no world-beater defensively, but his size alone does not allow him to be picked on defensively the way that IT was all playoffs long.

[timpiker]

I don't believe anything Woj says anymore - I think he's become an ESPN click-baiter

[jpotter33]

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/247292/Boston-Had-Concerns-About-Jimmy-Butler-Gordon-Hayward-Meshing

Another interesting part of the article was Lowe mentioning Boston's concerns regarding the fit of Hayward and Butler both on and off the court.

[KGBirdBias]

If people thought the pick & roll with IT was good with Horford. The pick & roll with Irving and Horford will be even more deadly.

I think the thing I'm most concerned about is our assists. We have more one on one players now and I'm sure Stevens will be preaching moving the ball and not letting it stick.

Yeah IT bought into the Brad  ball movement scheme for the most part but Hayward and Kyrie both are ISO capable players that will need to be sold. Horford will help with this I think. The good thing is we have multiple guys who can get us late buckets, get to the free throw line and score on broken plays.

Yes...THIS ^^^

[johnnygreen]

If people thought the pick & roll with IT was good with Horford. The pick & roll with Irving and Horford will be even more deadly.

I think the thing I'm most concerned about is our assists. We have more one on one players now and I'm sure Stevens will be preaching moving the ball and not letting it stick.

Yeah IT bought into the Brad  ball movement scheme for the most part but Hayward and Kyrie both are ISO capable players that will need to be sold. Horford will help with this I think. The good thing is we have multiple guys who can get us late buckets, get to the free throw line and score on broken plays.

In an alternative universe, it would have been nice to see Hayward play in a Brad Stevens ball movement scheme even before they both made the jump to the NBA.

[JHTruth]

This is what I've thought has been happening all along, Cleveland working the phones for a better deal with more win-now help. It's really the only plausible reason for the hold-up..

[j804]

This is what I've thought has been happening all along, Cleveland working the phones for a better deal with more win-now help. It's really the only plausible reason for the hold-up..

Shady scumbags they are

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

If people thought the pick & roll with IT was good with Horford. The pick & roll with Irving and Horford will be even more deadly.

I think the thing I'm most concerned about is our assists. We have more one on one players now and I'm sure Stevens will be preaching moving the ball and not letting it stick.

Yeah IT bought into the Brad  ball movement scheme for the most part but Hayward and Kyrie both are ISO capable players that will need to be sold. Horford will help with this I think. The good thing is we have multiple guys who can get us late buckets, get to the free throw line and score on broken plays.

Yes...THIS ^^^

thing is............now........instead of having ONE guy who can create his own shot aka.....IT......supposedly now.....in just one offseason......we have a few now.  Kyrie, GH, JT and morris.

If those guys along with Big Al move the ball they will have so many wide open looks.

[GreenCoffeeBean]

If people thought the pick & roll with IT was good with Horford. The pick & roll with Irving and Horford will be even more deadly.

I think the thing I'm most concerned about is our assists. We have more one on one players now and I'm sure Stevens will be preaching moving the ball and not letting it stick.

Yeah IT bought into the Brad  ball movement scheme for the most part but Hayward and Kyrie both are ISO capable players that will need to be sold. Horford will help with this I think. The good thing is we have multiple guys who can get us late buckets, get to the free throw line and score on broken plays.

In an alternative universe, it would have been nice to see Hayward play in a Brad Stevens ball movement scheme even before they both made the jump to the NBA.

That would be really helpful. Like, to see what you're getting before you get it? I wish we were so lucky.

[Rosco917]

Good article, though I would've liked him to discuss the defensive positives that Kyrie brings over IT, too. After all of the IT targeting on defense during the playoffs, which cost us a significant amount of points, I think this fact is not being discussed enough.

Kyrie is no world-beater defensively, but his size alone does not allow him to be picked on defensively the way that IT was all playoffs long.

This is so true, IT needed defensive assistance on every play. Anytime a player got the ball, and IT was covering him, he immediately looked for the help, and where it was coming from. At least with Irving at 6-3 he has the tools to be left alone with his defensive assignment. He's not a "world beater" on D, but he's capable of holding his own, and actually improving at 25 years old.