The Boston Celtics started the 2018-18 campaign hot right out of the gates, setting high expectations for their season even with the absence of Gordon Hayward. Though Boston remains a title threat and occupy the second seed in the Eastern Conference, their play has regressed and a lot of that has to do with a slew of injury troubles.
Though point guard Kyrie Irving has been hampered by serious injuries in the past, this year, a series of minor injuries have kept him out of the lineup at times. However, a long-term recovery could still be on the horizon for Irving who may have to undergo knee surgery at some point according to President Danny Ainge.
Ainge recently said on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich that surgery seems imminent and Irving’s troubled injury history was discussed when making the deal for him last summer (h/t Mass Live):
“He has some surgery that may need to happen,” Ainge confirmed. “But maybe not this summer. Maybe the following summer or maybe the summer after that. I think that he could probably do it any time he wanted, but I’m not sure that it’s needed at this moment.”
“There was a lot of discussion (at the time), and that was a big part of it going forward too was Kyrie had the injury. So we knew there would be maintenance issues, but his long-term prognostication is good. He’s going to have some maintenance issues here and there. We knew coming into this year that he probably wasn’t going to be an 82-game guy. He was going to be a 72-, 75-game guy in order to keep him fresh for the playoffs. And thats what it’s been. And we’re just extra cautious. We have the good fortune of being extra cautious right now. And we want him fresh and healthy. And we think that he will be come playoff time.”
Hopefully the surgery Kyrie Irving is expected to undergo doesn’t require a grueling recovery process though there’s no doubt he’ll likely be out of action for months. Irving’s problematic knee issues have begun to resurface again as he’s missed two straight and three out of the last five matchups with knee soreness.
Ainge even mentioned that they knew Irving would have his bumps in the road and didn’t expect him to play all 82 games this season. Now with Irving sidelined, a myriad of other injuries, and the playoffs right around the corner, it’ll be intriguing to see how Ainge and company manage the situation.
With a 47-22 record and only 13 games remaining in the regular season, the Celtics will need Kyrie Irving healthy to survive the surprisingly competitive Eastern Conference.
