BOSTON -- Kyrie Irving looks different. He has just jogged off the Auerbach Center court after an informal pick-up session with his Boston Celtics teammates and his distinctly more chiseled upper body is beaded with sweat.
He's sporting a headband to keep a fuller noggin of hair at bay, and he's smiling. A lot.
There's a simple reason for that: He's no longer in pain.
Last season, Irving gutted through persistent soreness and irritation caused by hardware from a 2015 surgery to repair a broken kneecap. He was forced to shut it down in March, underwent two additional surgeries, then spent much of his offseason methodically fine-tuning that left knee to the point where he believes he is the healthiest and strongest he's been in three years.