Irving the scorer now focused on evolving into a better defender

BOSTON – Kyrie Irving is known for many things in the NBA.

A defensive stopper?

That’s not one of them … for now.

Following Boston’s 93-90 home loss to Orlando, the only thing more surprising than the fact that the Celtics (2-2) lost the game was Irving revealing how he has made a point of emphasis this season – more than any previous season – to become a better defender.

During his time in Cleveland, Irving’s defense fluctuated somewhere between not-great and non-existent.

But last year in Boston, Irving showed more consistent glimpses of being a solid defender which was among the factors that played into Boston finishing with the second-best record in the East and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to Cleveland in seven games.

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With Boston (2-2) having championship aspirations this year and Irving being the one guy Celtics players will look to for guidance and leadership, he believes the time is now to push himself as a defender.

As sincere as Irving may be in his assessment of the need to grow defensively, there will still be some out there who don’t buy the idea that one of the game’s best scorers and finishers at the rim, now all of a sudden wants to become a lock-down defender.

But if you take Irving at his word, becoming a better defender is an adjustment mentally that is a radical departure from how he approached defense in Cleveland.  

“For me, I’ve coasted certain times on the defensive end throughout seasons, haven’t taken that challenge,” Irving said. “This year I want to take that challenge; to stop my man and lead these guys on the defensive end first.”

That is a tall order considering Boston’s roster consists of Aron Baynes and Al Horford who rank among the top defensive bigs in the NBA, and Marcus Smart whose defense ranks among the best in the NBA as well.

The sample size for Irving’s defense this season is limited to just four games, so putting too much stock into them, good or bad, isn’t wise.

A better barometer is to look at last season when Irving had a defensive rating of 103.3 which was the best of his seven-year NBA career, a number he’s certainly looking to improve upon this season.

“I’m asking myself to do a lot more on the defensive end,” Irving said. “The next eight to ten years, God willing for me to play that long, I want to take that challenge on that end. In order to do that, you have to be in phenomenal shape.”

He’s right.

Because when you’re as good a scorer as he is, ratcheting up better play defensively can potentially come at the detriment of what he does best – score the ball.

That might help explain why Irving has not looked like himself offensively, in these first four games.

Irving is shooting 39.1 percent (27-for-69) from the field and just 18.2 percent (4-for-22) from 3-point range. His offensive rating is currently 98.6 which would be a career-worst mark.

Regardless, Irving remains the focal point of what this Celtics team is about.

So will it be his offense or defense leading the way?

Stay tuned …

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