In a league that includes Steph Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving is not a first-team All-NBA talent. Especially not given his aversion to defense — sure, Harden, Curry and Westbrook will never be mistaken for Tony Allen on that end, but they all shoulder heavier loads on offense and *still* try harder than Irving on defense. A first-team All-NBA guard has two options: Either be really damn good on both ends of the floor (see: Chris Paul), or be absolutely transcendent offensively (see: Steph Curry). Kyrie is neither.
As for his opportunities to develop his PG skills vs what Wall and Curry got… Kyrie had three full seasons before LeBron came back. His assists per 36 minutes in those three seasons? 6.4, 6.2, 6.2. John Wall’s first three seasons? 7.9, 8.0, 8.4. Curry’s? 5.9, 6.2, 6.8. Curry and Wall improved. Kyrie did not. And lest we mistake this for a case of them getting more opportunities, I think it’s important to note that Irving had the highest usage rate through three seasons by a wide margin (in fact, despite LeBron’s presence, Kyrie’s usage the past three seasons has still been higher than Wall’s).
Kyrie Irving is a terrific player. He’s got a ridiculous handle and is amazing at the rim, but neither of those things is on par with Curry’s mind-bending shooting, or Harden’s court vision and ability to draw contact, or Westbrook’s raw athleticism. Given his limitations, I seriously doubt he’s good enough to be the best player on even a pseudo-contender, let alone a championship team.
