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Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving is having the best season of his career

By Luke Goodman

Nov 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 128-90. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs won 128-90. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kyrie Irving is having the best season of his career and it’s not even close.

Despite only playing 11 games at Duke University due to injury, Kyrie Irving was drafted with the number one overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. He immediately came into the league and started proving what everyone already knew: the man can play ball. He stepped into the pros and became the best player on his team; leading the rebuild into the future.

When LeBron James rejoined the team in 2014, Kyrie’s usage percentage took a dip but his overall numbers rose. The Cavaliers may have been calling his number more often, but Irving saw increases in his point total as well as his shooting percentages from the previous season.

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This Season Has Been Kyrie’s Best Ever

This season Kyrie’s playing better than he ever has before. He saw some drops in numbers last year after losing the first quarter of the season to injury. But it’s obvious that he’s back and better than ever.

Irving’s greatest strength has always been his scoring and this year he’s doing that better that he ever. The most noticeable number is his increase in points per game. This season he’s averaging 24.2 points. That’s a five point increase from last year, and his highest average ever.

His efficiency is also at an all-time high. Irving’s field goal percentage, two-point field goal percentage and free-throw percentage are all career-highs for Irving with his three-point percentage matching his number from 2014-15. Irving is shooting and scoring more than he ever has but converting at a career-high rate.

Irving’s scoring isn’t the only thing to note either. His assist total has been on an upward trend and he’s currently averaging 5.9 assists per game. His rebound totals are also high at 3.5 a game. Neither of these numbers are career-highs but they’re just within a point or two of his best marks and well above his career average.

Related Story: 3 Ways Kyrie Has Improved

Why is He Playing So Well?

Kyrie’s always been a top player, but this season he’s taken it to another level. What is it that’s making the difference this season? Well, there’s a few possibilities.

This is only the third year that Cleveland’s “Big Three” have been together. It takes time for stars to adjust to each other’s style of play and truly get everyone involved the way they ought to be. Just ask Kevin Love who is finally playing like we all knew he was capable of this season. Maybe Kyrie is finally getting settled down into his rhythm and figuring out how to play the best he can with this group of guys around him.

Kyrie is also most likely benefiting from the confidence that comes from winning a championship. After completing the largest NBA-Finals comeback of all-time and hitting the biggest shot in NBA history, Irving is oozing with confidence. This confidence is obviously influencing Kyrie’s game and allowing him to use his talents in new ways.

It also seems likely that Kyrie has been responding to criticism this season. Despite having a fantastic post-season and NBA-Finals Kyrie has received a lot of criticism this season. Just before Christmas ESPN’s Ben Alamar released an article on Kyrie not keeping pace with elite point guards. Kyrie responded by sinking a game-winning shot in Klay Thompson’s face on Christmas day. With every piece of criticism Kyrie gets he responds, and that might be what’s fueling him this season.

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No matter what the reason is for  Kyrie Irving to be playing so well, the Cavs are glad to have his production. At the age of 24, Irving is poised to be a star in this league for a very long time. This is just the beginning.