Let’s make something clear: I am not here to say that Kyrie Irving is not a good point guard. He is a top-ten point guard in the league easily, and any other year where there wasn’t brilliant play by nearly every guard, he’d be an All-NBA player.
However, this is the issue. He will not be a top-five player without LeBron James by his side.
Firstly, let’s look at some stats. For the sake of illustration, let’s just call them ‘Player A’ and ‘Player B’ for the time being.
Player A
23.2 PPG
3.9 RPG
5.5 APG
Player B
25.2 PPG
3.2 RPG
5.8 APG
One player is Kyrie Irving, while the other is Kemba Walker. One is considered a top-five point guard, the other made his first All Star team this year.
Player A is Kemba Walker, player B is Irving. Yes, Irving has two more points a game, but other than that, Walker has the better stats across the board.
Additionally, the two have almost identical defensive ratings (Irving 112, Walker 111). The key difference? Walker doesn’t play with LeBron James.
Let’s look at another player who was helped by having LeBron by his side: Matthew Dellavedova.
The man who signed a $38mill contract after winning a championship with the Cavaliers. The man who stepped in for an injured Kyrie Irving in the 2015 NBA Finals. A man… who is now considered one of the most overpaid players in the league.
The fact is, LeBron makes his players look good. He’s the best player in the world. Irving, while good, will not be a top-ten player should the Cavaliers accept his trade request.
He won’t take a team to the finals, he won’t be ‘the man’. Have we forgotten the Cavaliers before James? They were the worst team in the league.
Irving will soon realise that the Cavaliers don’t need him: he needs them.
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