Kyrie Irving's Impressive Summer Only the Beginning of Superstar Climb
Big Three label aside, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving won’t be heading to Cleveland Cavaliers training camp without their own hierarchical designation—namely, that order exactly.
At least that was the order, before Irving’s stellar showing at the FIBA World Cup rescued everyone into a fact that had lately been forgotten: This guy has superstar written all over him.
To be sure, Irving’s FIBA numbers don’t exactly jump off the page: 12.1 points and 3.6 assists on 56 percent shooting (including 61 percent from distance, which, okay, that jumps off the page).
Rather, it was how Irving played—deferential when he needed to be, dominant when it mattered most—that proved he’s more than ready to take the reins of what could prove the NBA’s most punishingly potent offense.
“I’m doing whatever’s needed to win, playing with the best in the world,” Irving told NBA.com’s John Schumann. “I feel like that’s where I want to be and where I should be. Going back to Cleveland, I’m just going to have the same mind set, just being myself, working extremely hard every single day, and maintaining my confidence that has made me who I am and who I want to become.”
Spared the burden of being Cleveland’s primary option, Irving can instead focus on what made his such a successful FIBA foray: attacking weak spots in the defense and draining jumpers from everywhere on the floor.
Even if Irving’s raw production takes a bit of a dip—and it most certainly will—his stands to improve immeasurably.
Here’s USA Today’s Adi Joseph speaking to precisely this point in a column penned shortly after James’ earth-shattering announcement:
"[Irving] landed his own maximum-level contract extension this offseason and now is primed to earn it.
And he will because he finally has been positioned to succeed. That's what this James return means for Irving, above all the spotlight and scrutiny — relief...Irving may not top his 20.8 points per game average this season, but he should improve dramatically on his 43.0% field goal and 35.8% three-point shooting percentages.
[Dwyane] Wade's field goal shooting rose from 47.6% in 2009-10 to 50.0% the next season, his first playing next to James. That number had soared to 54.5% by last season, as the Heat's Big 3 further learned to play efficiently together.
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And that’s before we even get to Love, a player who—let’s not forget—finished in the top five in points, rebounds and overall player efficiency a season ago.
In Love’s peerless rebounding and outlet passing, head coach David Blatt boasts the perfect catalyst for a devastating transition attack that should blow the Cavs’ somewhat anemic offense a season ago (they tied for 17th in pace) out of the water. Spearheaded primarily, of course, by James and Irving.
“Blatt's formula of high energy play is orchestrated by the point guard controlling the tempo,” writes The Plain Dealer’s Branson Wright. “It's an offense where the point guard will push the ball and if the team can't get a quick or easy basket, the ball will move around and set up a pick and roll with the point guard.”
At 29 years old, James is at the peak of his powers—a basketball poet continually reimagining the language of the game. No matter what strategies and schemes Blatt devises, this is LeBron’s play to direct, just as it has been for over a decade.
However, as The Washington Post’s Seth Partnow writes, Irving is exactly the kind of player you want shouldering whatever LeBron has to shed:
"James certainly seems cognizant that carrying such a huge offensive burden, as he did last season, is probably harmful to his chances of being fresh for the playoffs. His visible weight loss this offseason is one indicator of his desire for increased longevity. And it’s not hard to see him ceding some control over the offense to a star like Irving.
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Indeed, even LeBron acknowledged, in his now famous letter for Sports Illustrated announcing his decision, that turning the Cavs into contenders is sure to be “a process.” Translation: The next few seasons are less about how we start than how we finish.
Deeper translation: Young Kyrie will have ample opportunity to shine.
Playing at a position where most players don’t reach their primes until their mid to late 20s, Irving’s three-year resume—FIBA Most Outstanding Player, 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year, a pair of All-Star appearances and an All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award—is as impressive as it gets.
And while the point-guard position is teeming with would-be usurpers to Chris Paul’s throne (Damian Lillard, John Wall, Stephen Curry and the recovering Derrick Rose, just to name a few), Irving’s uncanny combination of shooting, playmaking and penetrative explosiveness put him squarely at the fore of the floor-general ranks.
Even Irving’s principal weakness, his defense, isn’t beyond repair. Particularly with a taskmaster of James’ caliber orchestrating the defensive movements.
What results is a picture of a player whose last two seasons risked stunting his superstar path, suddenly recovering his course. Albeit with a little help from his hardwood friends.
Conventional wisdom says the arrival of Cleveland's two newest stars will cast Irving to dimmer, darker corners. Really, it's the opposite we should be looking forward to: that James and Love will help illuminate, rather than eclipse, Irving's NBA future.
