Kyrie Irving elected to play in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game despite missing the last two games before the break, sparking questions about his commitment to the Boston Celtics this season. The optics weren’t good — there’s no doubting that. But what’s undeniable is how good Irving has been when he’s on the court, which is really all that matters.
@Celtics_Stats found a few numbers that help illustrate just how good Irving has been.
In the first half of the season, Irving is the only player shooting 40 percent from deep while averaging 23 points and 6 assists per game.
While his scoring and three-point shooting percentage speak for themselves, assists aren’t the end-all-be-all stat determining if a player is a good passer. For example, some players will almost exclusively pass when they think they can get an assist. But the numbers show Irving still distributes the ball a fair amount, especially as the team’s top scorer.
And in the course of this run, Irving has had some monumental games, doing things no Celtics player has since Kevin Garnett came to town.
Say what you will about the drama that comes with him, Irving is doing all the right things on the court.
