Boston Celtics: Is Kyrie Irving’s knee the cause behind slow start?

Kyrie Irving is off to a slow start here in the 2018-19 season. Could his previous knee surgery be the cause of this issue?

Boston Celtics star point guard Kyrie Irving is having himself a slow start in the beginning of the 2018-19 season. “Slow” actually might be an understatement considering the type of star he is in the NBA.

This season he’s averaging 14.0 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. It’s not his assist or rebound numbers that are concerning, because he’s always had averages around those marks. However, his scoring and efficiency is something that is alarming.

He’s only shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from 3. Which is not typically seen from the All-Star point guard. In his career he’s shot 46.1 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from downtown.

Irving is crafty on offense by the way he handles the ball and it usually leads to easy baskets. Watching him this year, there are a lot of open shots that don’t seem to be falling. In fact, a lot of the shots are short, which begs for the question: Is his knee still bothering him?

That could be the reason his shots are falling short. Maybe it’s just a small sample size. Maybe it’s rust. Maybe it’s just the yips, and if that’s the case, Irving is skilled enough to break out of that slump.

He isn’t going to do so by not shooting the ball as much as he should. In Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, he shot the ball five times in 23 minutes of action. He made one of his attempts and finished with just three points.

People are starting to wonder whether he’s truly 100 percent healthy. Chris Forsberg, writer for NBC Sports Boston, asked New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale if he believes that Irving is 100 percent:

NBA Twitter took this as Fizdale trying to recruit Irving to the Knicks, much like the rumors looked to be true until Irving claimed he would re-sign with the Celtics. In any case, Fizdale believes Irving is 100 percent.

Still, there does seem to be something affecting his offensive rhythm, which brings up the next question: If the knee is fine, as all accounts to this point have indicated, how can he find himself again on offense?

The easiest way for him to get back to his old self is by seeing the ball go through the hoop. It seems easier said than done, but when a player isn’t making shots it can be mentally draining — especially when the team is already struggling offensively.

Irving should use his handles in order to create separation for either a mid-range shot or baskets at the rim. He’s easily one of the best mid-range shooters and finishers this league has seen. Once he’s able to get those shots going, he can then expand his range back to the 3-point line. Of course if he’s open from 3, he should have the confidence to shoot it.

It’s still way to early in the season to be concerned about a player of Irving’s caliber, but it’s odd to see this from a great scorer. There’s been no information about his knee bothering him still, but it’s something to keep an eye on. Hopefully he’s able to find his rhythm again and it comes soon for the Celtics.