A toast to a new Kyrie Irving
By Rafael Freire
This offseason brought in a surprise that shook the whole basketball universe: Kyrie Irving asked to leave Cleveland, seeking different challenges for his career. The 25-year-old point guard, All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, and NBA champion, decided to follow his ambition to be a franchise leader, coming out of the shadows of one of the greatest players of all time. Mamba mentality? Kyrie would probably agree.
Since his rookie year, Kyrie Irving has been an undeniable phenomenon in the offensive aspect of the game. So much so that in his second year in the NBA, he was already an All-Star. Without a doubt, he’s the league’s best ballhandler and arguably an all-time great in this skill. His unlimited shooting range and great body control in drives to the lane results in a perfect isolation skillset. In contrast, even with all these qualities, his game was not efficient and complete enough to be compared to other leaders in the position like Curry, Chris Paul, Westbrook, or even Damian Lillard. Before the trade, the fundamental and recurring questions in media discussions were: is Kyrie capable of being the focal point of a competitive franchise? Will he reach such a level of performance to finally take these names out of the competition for an MVP award?
I had my doubts.
Before the return of LeBron James to Cleveland, Kyrie has not been able to get the team to Playoff contention, even in the less competitive eastern conference. And we should consider that there were teams below the .500 mark who managed to snap a spot for two seasons in a row. The most wins that the Cavs could assemble in the three seasons of Kyrie as a franchise player was a modest mark of 33. Of course, there are other outlooks to analyze: Irving made it to the NBA as a 19-year-old, with the weight on his shoulders to command a franchise in need of new idols. The head coaches Byron Scott and Mike Brown had very questionable projects in Cleveland. Besides, the period in question was a complete rebuild, with a roster well below NBA quality (Dion Waiters was Kyrie’s sidekick. I mean, Dion Waiters). However, it still feels necessary to investigate the extent to which the main player should also be held accountable for his team’s failure.
It was just after the arrival of LeBron and Kevin Love that it became possible to clarify Irving’s share of responsibility in his early years. Influenced by “LeBron Ball”, Kyrie wasn’t the main initiator or scorer anymore. In the Big 3 era, he continued to be a complete bucket getter, but his inconsistency in involving teammates, immature decision-making, along with his struggle to read defensive plays were his main weak spots. Don’t get me wrong, Kyrie was still an elite level player, a great sidekick, and even hit the dagger to decide an NBA championship. But the point guard position has evolved a lot, involving numerous variables beyond scoring numbers, so the athlete needs a replete repertoire to be among the best in the position.
In basketball, the winner is the one who scores the most, obviously, but you also need to know what to do to avoid getting beat. In 82 games of 48 minutes each, you just cannot go one-on-one whenever the ball is in your hands. You can’t make the wrong switch or leave your man on every pick and roll. It won’t bring you wins. The Cavs struggled with it in some moments of last season. For those who like stats: in 2016–2017, Cleveland had a plus-minus of -120 in the minutes in which Kyrie remained on the floor while LeBron went to the bench. Even so, some would argue that it was Tyronn Lue’s system that did not favor the point guard’s style of play.
Again, I had my doubts.
Nevertheless, in my point of view, Kyrie still had a chance of functioning as a pivotal point somewhere. After all, we are talking about a very decorated young player, and depending on which franchise he would land in, he could reach his full potential. I could only think of five or six franchises suitable for this challenge.
And yes, Boston was one of them.
The greatest champion in NBA’s history has a passionate fanbase and a solid winning culture. After a long and patient period of rebuilding, the Celtics seem to have finally built the foundation to contend for yet another championship. I would venture to say that this roster has a basketball IQ that is unmatched in Kyrie’s career, even more than the title-winning Cavaliers. Brad Stevens is the only legitimate great coach Kyrie has had in his NBA career (Coach K is also good, but they only worked together on the US National Team and Duke). Seems to me like the right environment to grow.
At the start of the current season, the Celtics are setting the league on fire. Even though they lost Hayward in the first game and started with two losses, they managed to solidify their record, with ten straight wins right afterward. 10–2, with the best defense in the NBA, allowing only 94 points per game. Stevens’ roster pieces and the cohesive bench rotations make Boston certainly one of the most enjoyable teams to watch. And a lot of it comes from the transformation of Kyrie Irving as well. When he is on the court, opponents maintain an average of fewer than 97 points per 100 possessions, which is some sort of defensive career-high for him. He has the best Box Plus-Minus of his life and it’s also the first time that his Defensive Box Plus-Minus is a positive (!!!). Much of this is due to Boston’s quality as a squad, defending pick and rolls and switching dynamically to minimize Kyrie’s defensive weaknesses.
Try to notice the volume of nice-looking defensive switches in this play, which ends with an Irving steal. The versatility and tactical awareness of the Boston players make them able to efficiently guard different positions. Brad Stevens that.
But of course, we should also extol the intensity and energy that Irving has been showing in defense. Here we can see how he incessantly searches for Bogdanovic, fighting through screens, muddling him from receiving the ball, forcing him to change trajectory and speed.
In addition to defense, Kyrie also shows his transformation in the offensive part of the game. He seems to fit in with the Brad Stevens style, efficient, not in need of monstrous scoring numbers (he hasn’t yet scored more than 30 points in any game of this season). Irving lets the game come to him, without forcing so many isolations, distributing when it feels necessary. Less instinctive and more cerebral with the ball, but mostly without it. It’s a process, of course, but it seems already well underway.
In this clip, Boston’s intangibles and ball movement facilitate Kyrie’s off-ball movement, breaking out of two screens. It looks like they’ve known each other for a long time. These are attacking plays that go back to Isaiah Thomas’ times, but with even better players commanding them.
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In these three plays, it is possible to notice intelligence, court vision, decision-making, and focus. Kyrie shows unpredictability not only in the way he dribbles the ball but in creating spaces to find open teammates, engaging them in the game much more efficiently than he used to do in Cleveland.
Credit also is due to the great season of his teammates, who directly influence Irving’s success. Baynes has been surprisingly solid. Horford is a very competent roll man who’s able to pass out of the post, cut to the basket, or shoot from distance. Rozier and Smart are great rotation options for the backcourt, either as play initiators or screeners, making Irving float to a two-guard role more than ever before in his career. Brown and Tatum make up for Hayward’s absence with defensive power and scoring efficiency. After all, Boston’s success passes through Kyrie and vice versa.
It’s still early in the season, but it seems that Kyrie has finally found a place where he can demonstrate all his offensive talent and upside, but with tactical efficiency and intelligence. More than the spirit of that guy who’s just arrived and is looking to show his services right away. It is an evolution of culture and mindset. Irving has the city, the coach, and the squad that he needed to shine. There is no need to carry the ball and solve everything alone.
The signs he presents in these first games are lively and can make you believe that to be victorious, Irving doesn’t need to be on the corner of the best player of recent times. Whether it’s true, we still don’t know. But, until proven otherwise, I propose a toast to the team with the best basketball this early season. The team has what it takes to stone Kyrie Irving into the player he hopes to become.
