By james art 
Most people view Kyrie Irving’s two-year stint with the Celtics as a huge disappointment, and the guard’s relationship with the team and its supporters is still strained. However, he was briefly so outstanding in Boston that Jayson Tatum considered him the greatest player in the history of the league.
In an interview on Jeff Teague’s Club 520 podcast, Tatum recalled how in his early Celtic days he was amazed by Irving’s skill set and influence. The forward recalled how the former Cavaliers player put the team on his back when he was a rookie in the eight-time player’s first season in Boston.
Jason said, “We lost our first two games. Gordon was hurt, the night of the premiere, it was like tragic. We lost to Cleveland, we played back-to-back, we lost to Milwaukee. I thought this was going to be a tough year. We won 16 games in a row and then I was like Kyrie is maybe the best player I’ve ever seen.”
Kyrie Irving’s season that convinced Jayson Tatum he was the best
In November 2017, Irving averaged 24.1 points, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game, allaying fears that the Celtics’ season might be down after Hayward’s injury. Before suffering a season-ending left knee injury in March 2018, he led them to a 46-21 record.
Boston finished as the second seed and made an incredible run to the Conference Finals, where they were defeated 4-3 by LeBron James and the Cavaliers despite the absence of the guard. They finished fourth in the standings and lost to the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs the following season, which was a disappointment.
To the chagrin of Celtics fans, Irving signed a free agent contract with the Nets. Tatum holds no animosity toward his old teammate.