Boston Celtics: 3 players facing the most pressure in 2018-19

3. Kyrie Irving

The rumors continue to swirl as to what Kyrie Irving will do during the 2019 offseason. The big storyline to follow is whether he will stay in Boston or go play for the New York Knicks. That could all change at some point during the season, but all signs point to those two teams being the frontrunners.

Irving will get paid big money either way because of his name and past. He deserves to get paid like one of the best players in the league because he rightfully is, though the concerns on the injury front may scare some teams from throwing all their money at him.

Last season he played in just 60 games. The most games he’s played in his career is only 75 back in 2014-15. Still, the idea of Irving never being able to play a full 82 games is a little alarming. Teams need to make sure they have a capable backup to start at least 10-20 games if they sign him.

He’s still one of the best in the league despite having injury history. Last season, the former Blue Devil averaged 24.4 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. It was his first season away from being casted in James’ shadow and he did great.

It’s up to Irving to show the NBA that he is one of the best in the league and that he can deliver Boston to the NBA Finals. He could become a free agent next offseason with his player option and there is one player that could be knocking on his doorstep for the starting job as well.