Kyrie Irving was bottled lightning. Now it’s his time to be unleashed
Kyrie Irving was bottled lightning for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now it’s time for him to be unleashed.
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and spent the next three seasons trying to bottle lightning. When LeBron James returned to Cleveland as a two-time champion and the best player in the world, he was that bottle. He kept Irving from running the Cavs and himself off the track by establishing boundaries, rules, a pecking order.
He did all that while allowing Irving to grow as a player and put his amazing scoring talents on display. In three seasons with James at his side, Irving would average 22.4 points (on 17.7 field goal attempts) and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from three-point range. Contrast that with the three seasons prior, where Irving would average 20.7 points (on 16.9 field goal attempts) and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three-point range.
Irving was getting the opportunity to showcase his skills with the Cavs, even with James there. Irving, however, would always be overshadowed in Cleveland, eclipsed by the celestial sphere that is James’ superstardom.
Irving, a headstrong point guard who has proven to be both capable of stellar outputs, sensational highlights and clutch performances. A player whose father felt he should be the number one option in Cleveland, according to basketball insider Sam Amico.
Though it’s surprising that Irving asked for a trade now, Irving’s desire to lead his own team one day was predictable. Obviously, with the news that he wants a trade, Irving has decided that now is the time to spread his wings.
It’s time for him to be unleashed.
Last season, Irving scored 25.0 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three-point range and 90.5 percent from the three-point line. The only other players to score 25.0 points per game with those shooting percentages are Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki.
All three of those players are NBA MVPs, NBA champions and future Hall of Famers. Irving, the Ankletaker, has a lethal crossover, generational finishing ability around the rim and a deadeye shooting stroke.
Irving isn’t better than James but it’s understandable why his father felt that way. Irving is a superior scorer when compared to James.
His shooting stroke is better, his ball-handling and ability to create space for shots is better and. true to his “Mamba Mentality”, Irving is always in attack mode.
He’s not a pure passer or an ace on defense but he’s flashed the ability to be an impact player in those areas as well. However, those are areas where Irving still needs to significantly improve if he wants to be “the man” for a team.
While it’s true that the Cleveland Cavaliers offense was designed around James and that affects Irving’s ability to excel without James (the team’s centerpiece) on the court, Irving has yet to show the basketball IQ that James has. James is the maestro of the Cavs’ symphony, the puppet-master.
In the NBA, the point guard position is similar to the quarterback position in the NFL. Both point guards and quarterbacks aren’t only expected to distribute the ball to teammates at an excellent rate but they’re expected to understand the offense, inside and out.
While Irving attacks incessantly, scoring first and passing later is like being a better runner as a quarterback than a passer, like Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
James is more well-rounded as a player and he’s mastered the concept of the game. He’s like Tom Brady meets Peyton Manning; he can make all of the passes and will make all the passes like Brady and is the system on offense, like Manning.
The thing is that James is the freakish athlete that Newton is and while Irving has the durability concerns similar to what teams had with Manning and will begin to have with 39-year-old Brady. The other thing is that James is 32-years-old and what many perceive to be the final stretch of his career, whether that last three years, five or eight. Irving is 25-years-old and sensational yet hasn’t hit his prime.
When he hits it, armed with James’ blueprint, Irving has a chance to build on his weaknesses as a player and thrive on what could be championship contender.