The Curious Case of Kyrie Irving

bleacherreport.com

Throughout his career, Kyrie Irving has always been heavily scrutinized. When you’re the first pick in the NBA draft, there will always be lofty expectations, and if you fail to meet them, then you will never hear the end of it. The Cleveland Cavaliers clearly drafted Irving with the intent of making him their franchise corner piece. Whether or not he’s been as good as advertised has been up for debate throughout his entire career. People’s opinions on Kyrie Irving have been somewhat of a roller coaster. I’ll break that roller coaster down for you.

When Irving entered the league, he was obviously expected to do a lot. He was seen as a very potent offensive weapon. In Irving’s first NBA game he played 26 minutes, dished out seven assists and scored six points, only making one of his five shots. However, as the season went on, he began to show his ability to score. In his third game, he was finally able to play more than 30 minutes and showed what he was capable of. Irving shot 42 percent and scored 20 points while dishing out four assists. In the end, he had an impressive rookie season, averaging 18.5 points per game on 47 percent shooting. He also averaged about 5.5 assists per game. However, he only played in 51 of the lockout shortened seasons 66 games.

In the summer before Kyrie’s second season, critics and fans alike were simply drooling over the potential that Irving possessed. Some critics would call out his lack of passing ability, or his tendency to not play defense, but the majority of people would just point out that it was only his rookie season and he would improve. The other knock on him was that he may be injury prone, but supporters once again pointed out that it would be better in his second season. In his second season, he averaged 22.5 points and 5.9 assists per game. His shooting percentage dropped down to 45 percent as well. Once again, Kyrie dazzled viewers with contested three pointers and insane crossovers, but once you looked past that there was still something clearly missing.

It was once again apparent that Kyrie Irving didn’t know how to play defense. He constantly looked lost on the defensive end and it was hurting his game. He also couldn’t average more than six assists per game. People were calling him out for his inability to be a true point guard and help facilitate his team’s offense. Irving also seemed to disappear and hide himself away when his team needed him most. His overall leadership was called into question. He was also only healthy for 59 games so his ability to stay healthy was critiqued. Irving’s critics began to label him as overrated due to everyone calling him elite only because of his fancy handles and smooth jump shot.

Irving knew that he needed to enter his third NBA season and prove all of his doubters wrong. In many ways, he did. His scoring average dropped to 20 points per game and his shooting percentage dropped to 43 percent. However, he raised his assists numbers to over six assists per game and he began to show more of the leadership qualities that his critics had been desiring. Irving led the Cavaliers to their best record in his three year stint with the team. The Cavaliers went 33-49. However, many people were quick to label him elite, just because of his scoring ability and his crazy crossovers. His critics didn’t like this and therefore continued slapping the label of overrated on him.

That brings us to the 2014-2015 regular season. Irving would be playing alongside Kevin Love and LeBron James, and no one knew how it was going to affect him. Some people thought that playing with these superstars may stunt his growth and others were worried that he would get frustrated and give up on the team. However, in the face of perhaps the toughest test of his young career, Irving proved to all of his doubters that he was capable of being not only a great player, but a mature leader as well.

This season, Irving averaged about 22 points and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 47 percent. He also played the best defense of his career. He used his quick hands and feet, as well as his athleticism to pester opposing ball handlers and make them uncomfortable. His assist numbers weren’t great, but with LeBron as the Cavaliers primary ball handler, it’s understandable. What impressed me most was the fact that Kyrie accepted a role that was less than he was used to and less than he probably deserved. He also played in 75 games this season, leaving all of his previous health problems behind him. He also got to show us that he can be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. In Irving’s playoff debut against the Boston Celtics he dropped 30 points on 52 percent shooting. He also created more than a couple turnovers due to his pestering style of defense.

Kyrie Irving is still only 23 and has a few years before we will finally get to see the best that he has to offer. He may have been rightly labeled as overrated in the past, but recently he has shown that he can be more than just a dazzling ball handler. He is beginning to rise among the ranks of elite guards and people should begin to give him the credit he deserves. Watch out, because Kyrie Irving is about to take the league by storm.