Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving Becoming A Willing Passer Only Makes Cavs Better

It’s time to stop talking about Kyrie Irving’s assist averages. He’s becoming a more willing passer and it’s only making the Cleveland Cavaliers better.

Kyrie Irving can score the ball, we all have known that from the time he entered the NBA. This season however Irving has become a more willing passer, which has taken his overall game to a new level.

A knock on the sixth-year guard for much of his career has been his low assist totals while playing the point guard position. Before this season, Irving only averaged 5.5 assists in his first five seasons in the league. However this season, Irving has made it a point to be more of a distributor in addition to just trying to score the ball. For example, in the previous two seasons Irving recorded just six double-digit assist games. But this season alone, Irving has already recorded nine double-digit assist games.

During a seven-game stretch this season in late December, Irving put up some impressive scoring and assist numbers as he averaged 24 points and 10 assists. The Cavs went 6-1 in that seven-game span.

On the surface that may not sound too impressive, especially when you compare it Russell Westbrook, who has recorded an astounding 36 double-digit assist games this year.

However, Irving’s 21 games with seven or more assists this season does show that he is improving his assist totals. A reason for Irving’s improved passing this season could be attributed to playing alongside LeBron James, who is arguably the best passer and most unselfish player in all of the NBA.

James has always been a willing passer and many times is the Cavs primary ball handler when he and Irving are out on the court together. This season James is averaging 8.9 assists per game, the highest total in his 14-year career.

So there is not a big burden on Kyrie to play point guard when he and James share the floor and Irving can focus more on scoring. Playing with James will alter any guards assist totals, if Westbrook, Chris Paul or John Wall played with James, their assist totals would take a hit because of James’ ability to dish the ball at an elite level. There is no denying that fact.

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Irving will never be a true point guard and those days in the NBA seem to be gone. Even guards that dish out double-digit assists on a consistent basis also are elite scorers nowadays. Again, look at Westbrook, who averages nearly 31.7 points a game in addition to dishing out 10.1 assists per game.

James Harden, who leads the NBA in assists per game with 11.3, also scores 28.8 points per game for Houston. Then there is Wall, who dishes out 10.8 assists a night but scores nearly 22.7 points per game for the Washington Wizards.

Those three do not sound like a traditional NBA point guards to me.

My point is this: Irving shouldn’t be criticized for his assist totals. He’s not a ball-hog or a selfish player by any means, his style of play is the consequence of his otherworldly scoring ability and it always has been. Nonetheless, Irving has improved greatly at setting up his teammates and his assist totals this year back that up.

In fact, there here have been many instances where Irving will pass up a shot of his own and find a wide open player only for them to miss that shot, and nice passes with a missed shot do not count for anything on the stat sheet.

With Irving becoming more of a willing passer this year, it only will make the Cavs better as the regular season winds down. This team is loaded with spot-up shooters and with his ability to drive the lane and attract multiple defenders, Irving can pick and choose who he dishes the ball to beyond the three-point line, which could spell doom for any team that is in the Cavs way come the postseason.

Is it time to stop criticizing Kyrie Irving’s passing ability? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.