Kyrie Irving Defended By Marcus Smart Over Celtics Chemistry Issues

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Kyrie Irving & Marcus Smart
Smart says Irving shouldn't be taking all of the blame for what happened.

Marcus Smart knows all about the issues the Boston Celtics had last season as they were being led by none other than Kyrie Irving. There were times where it seemed as though the team didn't have any chemistry and their play on the court was often a reflection of that. Irving took much of the blame throughout the season but during an appearance on ESPN's The Jump, Smart made sure to deflect the criticism against Irving, saying that the whole team was at fault.

“Let me make this be clear: We, not just me, the world, even Kyrie knows that he didn’t play up to the standard that he wanted to, but there’s four other guys out there with him, there’s a coach out there, we’re all supposed to be one team,” Smart said. “So you can’t put the blame on just one guy, because there’s things that everybody could have done better to not just help Kyrie, but help each other. And when you’re going in, especially when you’re trying to build that camaraderie, and you start singling guys out, it makes it really hard."

Smart also talked about how many of the guys on the team played as individuals and struggled when it came to playing as a unit.

“Off the court, we actually hung out with each other," Smart explained. "Things got on the court, it was just everybody was put in a situation trying to help the team any way they knew how. We got guys scoring the ball, that’s what they do. They don’t know anything else, that’s what they do, that’s how they made their name."

With all of this in mind, it's clear as to why the Celtics couldn't get it done come playoff time.


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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