Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from the midseason point

3. Kyrie Irving has been Boston’s MVP

Kyrie Irving has done everything in his power this 2018-19 season to keep the Celtics afloat, aside from the month of October where he struggled mightily, averaging only 16.2 points on 42.7 percent from the field and 30.6 from 3.

Since November, Irving has been an offensive superstar. The Celtics expect nothing less from their soon to be max contract player. He’ll never be a good defender, but he does make up for that on the offensive end, which is something Boston needs.

This season Irving is averaging 22.6 points, 6.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He’s also been shooting an efficient clip of 49.0 percent from field and 40.6 from 3. Without Irving, Boston would not be where they are, regardless if they’re 3-1 when he doesn’t play.

Just look at what happened on Christmas and it’s easy to see why. Irving was clutch, hitting shots when the team needed him most. He finished the night scoring 40 points on 17-of-33 from the field and 5-for-10 from downtown.

So often he is looked at to be the team’s scorer, but he’s passed more often than not. He’s averaging a career high 6.4 assists per game, including seven games in which he’s recorded 10 or more assists.

There’s been plenty of games where he finishes with eight or nine assists respectively.

Not only has he been a great scorer for Boston this season, but he’s been looking to get his teammates involved. Without Irving, Boston would not be where they are at the midseason point, which is why he’s been the team’s most valuable player this year.