Kyrie Irving Rookie of the Year 2012: Keys to Point Guard's Continued Success

Kyrie Irving won the 2012 Rookie of the Year award with 117 of the 120 first place votes in his favor. Irving's rookie season was dynamic, but he must maintain that success if Cleveland hopes to return to basketball relevance.

Irving became just the sixth rookie in NBA history to average 18 points and five assists per game. He was incredibly efficient on the offensive end, shooting over 50 percent from the floor and consistently finding open teammates.

Irving was, at times, a one-man band in Cleveland this year. That helped him put up big numbers this year, but he will need help next season. Teams will have tape on Irving's penetration techniques and will be more inclined to keep him out of the paint.

He has all the tools of a perennial All-Star. This is how Irving can improve on his rookie season and bring the Cavaliers back to basketball prominence.

2012 NBA Draft

The first key does not have as much to do with Irving as it does with the Cavs. Irving was able to slash his way to the hoop this season with marginal players surrounding him. Just imagine what he could do with blue-chip complements.

Cleveland owns a lottery selection in this year's draft and another first-round selection outside of the lottery. This gives Cleveland a chance to grab two quality contributors in this year's deep draft class.

Irving needs a running mate in the Cleveland backcourt, or a quality slasher on the wing. Shoot-first players like Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Lamb or Austin Rivers would all make sense given Irving's stellar passing ability.

Cleveland needs to surround their best asset with better players. Irving exudes upside and will flourish with another scorer next to him.

Stay Motivated

Irving's motivation should not be a problem, and it needs to stay that way in his post-award world. Irving should not be satisfied and should spend the offseason refining any minor blemishes in his basketball repertoire.

The ability to stay hungry is an underrated quality among NBA players. Many talented players have shown the ability to play for a short time, but they fade away once their drive slows down. Irving must keep his eyes on bigger goals, like NBA MVP awards and NBA championships.

Irving should not have trouble staying motivated.

Cleveland's franchise still lives in the shadow of LeBron James, and Irving should be eager to play them out of that. He should be hungry to give himself a title other than 'that guy after LeBron'.

Irving is certainly talented enough to shed any attachment to James, but he must couple that with a mental edge.

Cleveland fans are hungry for success in the post-LeBron era. Irving must be just as hungry.

Take Care of the Ball

Point guards are judged, first and foremost, by one statistic. Turnovers are the benchmark for backcourt success, and Irving needs to improve in this area.

Irving averaged just over five assists per game in 2012, but he also turned it over three times per contest. This can be attributed to regular rookie lumps, but it needs to improve nonetheless.

Irving was guilty of trying to do too much at times. Who can blame him given his supporting cast? But, Irving must play more within himself and improve his court awareness.

Turnovers can kill momentum. At the least, they throw away the current possession.

Irving's 2012 stat line is nearly flawless. Nitpickers will point to his turnovers as something to work on this offseason.

The greatest players always strive to get better despite their obvious success. Irving needs to adopt this attitude.