Cavs: LeBron James leads the Cavaliers’ All-2010s Team

Cleveland Cavaliers All-2010s Team – G: Kyrie Irving

Clearing a low bar, Kyrie Irving is without question one of the two greatest guards in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He certainly had the pedigree, going first overall despite missing most of his freshman season at Duke. The Cavs, who fell apart after the departure of LeBron James, tumbled into the lottery and took Irving with the first overall pick in 2011.

Irving was dynamic from the jump, averaging 18.5 points as a rookie and shooting 39.9 percent from 3-point range. He was the face and the top option for a Cavs team looking for answers as LeBron James was winning MVPs and titles in Miami. Across three seasons before James returned, Irving won Rookie of the Year and made two All-Star Games.

Then James was back, and the team traded for Kevin Love, and Irving was allowed to shine when defenses weren’t keyed up on him. He made two more All-Star Games and hit one of the most iconic shots in Cavs history, a 3-pointer late in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, a killing blow right over the baby-faced assassin to help bring Cleveland its first title in franchise history.

Irving had his best statistical season in 2016-17, the year after the title, scoring 25.2 points per game and hitting 40.1 percent from 3-point range. That would be his last year in Cleveland, putting the cap on his Cavs tenure at six seasons. He finished with 40.4 win shares, second-most in the decade for all Cavaliers players, and most other advanced metrics placed him second to James as well. He’s an easy pick as the top guard of the decade for Cleveland.