When Kyrie Irving departed in the summer of 2019, the Celtics were turned over to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The young wings showed flashes throughout their careers, including an Eastern Conference Finals run a year prior that proved that taking a shot and building around them was worth it.
There were still questions about Tatum and Brown. Could they be the two best players on a championship team? Should the Celtics commit to them as the building blocks?
In free agency, Ainge searched for a third star. Enter Kemba Walker. Walker was the Kyrie replacement.