Kyrie Irving has had an up and down career so far for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The ups have been on the court with his prodigious talent and ability. His downs have mostly been due to injuries that have limited his time on the court.
Even last year, we were denied a healthy Irving throughout most of the NBA Playoffs and then denied any sight of him on the court after Game 1 of the NBA Finals. In fact, Irving’s ability to improve despite missing significant chunks of time on the floor may be most impressive overall. Many players struggle to regain their form after injuries, Irving just continues to rise.
Last year he was joined by LeBron James as a dynamic duo and Kevin Love to create a new Big 3. All three struggled with injuries and learning to play together. Concerns were high that Irving would struggle to acclimate his game to another ball dominant player like LeBron. Irving’s early success in the NBA came as he weaved his way through traffic, hit step back 3 pointers and controlled the game while he controlled the rock.
While Love’s struggles to acclimate are well documented, it is impressive how quickly Irving adjusted his game to play off of LeBron when they shared the floor and take over when LeBron sat. Even with a big uptick in talent around him, Irving still averaged 21.7 points, his 2nd highest behind 22.5 his second season. He still averaged 5.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals all while reducing his turnovers to a career low.
Irving’s offense has never been a question but his defense was a big concern. Starting with Team USA and continuing with the Cavs, his focus, attention and energy greatly increased on that end of the floor. He went from a disaster to an okay defender. With his basketball IQ, it is possible that he continues to improve on that end of the floor.
With all of that said, it brings us to the title question: Will Kyrie Irving ever overtake LeBron James? A different version of the question is this: When will Kyrie Irving be the best player on the Cavs team?
Irving is entering the season as a 23 year old multiple time All Star with a sweet shooting stroke and possibly the best ball handling ability in the game. LeBron is entering the season at 30 years old with years of mileage on his legs, including never missing the NBA Playoffs and years of Team USA games.
Will LeBron ever come down from his lofty height of talent and ability as he ages? Is there a ceiling for Kyrie?
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In three years, Irving will be hitting his full prime at 26 years old. At that point Irving will have the experience to not only score and handle the ball but to take advantage of what will be 7 years of experience in the league. Leverage points, small adjustments, best ways to get his teammates involved and how to lead.
In three years, LeBron will be an old 33 and have imparted 4 years of knowledge and experience on to the younger Irving while physically trying to fight off the impact of Father Time and the mileage on his feet, ankles and back.
Is it the start of the 2018-19 NBA Season that Irving passes LeBron as the Cavs best player? Could it happen before? Is this sacrilege to even discuss?