Marcus Morris confirmed some of the questions around Kyrie Irving's leadership in Boston, saying the star guard was distracted by "family stuff" after his grandfather died in October 2018.
"I just think mentally he had some other stuff going on and it was hard for him to separate that from the workplace," Morris said Thursday (via the New York Post). "And that’s difficult sometimes. But I do think he tried his hardest.’’
Morris, who left Boston in free agency to sign with the Knicks, explained that Irving "forgot how big of a leader he was."
"As a leader, outside stuff can affect our team. And I think that did," Morris added. "Not like outside distractions but like family stuff he had going on. ... A good leader, every day you separate basketball and you separate the off-court things. Like I said, man, he’s human so, that time was a learning experience and we had a lot of young guys so it was tough on him."
The Celtics entered the 2018-19 season with high expectations but fell short as they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Bucks in the second round.
One of the most notable questions of Irving's leadership came when he called out the younger players after a loss to the Magic in January, saying: "Experience, we're lacking it, and because of that, we have a lot of learning to do." He later clarified his comments and promised not to "question my teammates in public like that ever again."
Morris said he still had a great amount of respect for Irving, saying the veteran shouldn't have been blamed for all of Boston's struggles.
“That’s just how it goes,’’ Morris said. “There’s five people on the court. At the end of the day, it’s not just one guy.
"I love Ky. I had a great relationship with Ky. Me and him were really good friends in there, we talked about a lot, what was going on. ... We never had no problems.’’
Irving ended up signing a 4-year, $141 million contract with the Nets in free agency.
Morris and Irving will play against each other Friday as Brooklyn hosts the Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET.