Kyrie Irving is a “Team Killer”?
Determining if Kyrie is truly a negative player for an NBA franchise
The Dallas Mavericks ever since the trade for Kyrie Irving, have struggled with a record of 8–14. Prior to this, they were a top five seed in the Western Conference and were cruising with a much better 29–16 record. Of course, people have been speculating that this downfall has a clear cause, being Kyrie Irving. These fans argue that Kyrie has a reputation for being a “team killer” and only negatively affects whatever franchise he is on.
In this article, we will be investigating whether Kyrie is truly a “team killer” or whether this is all just false propaganda.
Judging Irving’s Stint with the Cavaliers
In 2011, the Cleveland Cavaliers had just played their first season without LeBron James and as a result they had finished last place in the entire NBA. They received the number one overall pick and drafted the point guard from Duke, Kyrie Irving. In his four year stint with the team, Kyrie had helped the Cavaliers improve their record from a measly 19–63 to a better 33–49.
However, Irving as the second option proved much more beneficial as the second option once LeBron came back. They both had led Cleveland to the second seed in the Eastern Conference and a finals appearance. The next year, in 2016, the Cavaliers were fully healthy and ready to come back for vengeance. They finished as the number one seed and defeated the 73–9 Golden State Warriors in the finals. Irving had solidified himself as a superstar and being only 24 years old led people to think that he would finish as one of the all-time greats.
Despite all of the Cavaliers success, Irving in the upcoming years had demanded a trade as he felt that he was being held back by LeBron. Consequently, Kyrie was traded to the Boston Celtics and was given the chance to showcase his potential as the number one option again.
Reviewing Kyrie’s Failures in Boston
A newly formed team had just been built in Boston, and was comprised of Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford. They were the clear favorites to win the Eastern Conference and many had claimed that they were the only true matchup for the Golden State Warriors at the time.
Sadly, in just the first game of the season they had lost one of their key players in Gordon Hayward. Despite this, they were still viewed as elite title contenders with Kyrie at the helm and finished with a 55–27 record. In the playoffs, Kyrie had gotten injured again, but the team was still able to take LeBron James and the Cavaliers to a seven game series.
The next year, the hype surrounding the Celtics remained and Kyrie had yet another chance to rise to all-time status. Again, he had an amazing regular season, averaging 23.8 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.0 rebounds, but the Celtics as a team had fallen off slightly to the number four seed. In the playoffs the Celtics were set to play the Milwaukee Bucks, who were the number one seed. The spotlight was now on Kyrie and he could prove why he needed his own team. However, this did not pan out as Kyrie had played subpar, shooting 35.6% from the field, as the Celtics were beaten in a quick five games.
After promising to return to the team in the regular season, Kyrie decided to leave the Celtics and go team up with Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets. This was where many fans started to turn on Kyrie and point to him as the problem.
Reviewing if Kyrie Caused the Downfall of Brooklyn and Dallas
Fast forward a few years and the Nets had just traded for James Harden. They now had a “superteam” along with Irving and Harden. The only thing that held them back, however, was something completely unexpected. Kyrie who was completely healthy at the time, had missed over 50 games in the season due to his vaccination status. The Nets, who were thought to have been a “superteam” were now at the seventh seed and defeated by the Celtics, Kyrie’s former team, in a sweep.
In the next season, the Nets had let go of James Harden and seemed to have gotten back on track. Irving and Durant seemed to have been playing at the peaks of both of their careers, with both being elected as all stars. Additionally, the Nets were cruising as a top three seed in the Eastern Conference. Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly), Kyrie had seemingly randomly requested a trade. The Nets, who were at the top of the league, now had to let go of their second best player in return for a mediocre package.
Now, with Kyrie’s addition to the Mavericks, many thought that this is what Luka and the team needed to rise into the top tier of teams. However, just the opposite has happened. The Mavericks have even fallen out of a play-in spot and are three games below .500. So the question has been raised again: is Kyrie Irving a “team killer?”
Determining if Kyrie is truly a negative player for an NBA franchise
The real answer is that Irving’s downfall has just been a result of unfortunate circumstances. In Cleveland, his youthfulness had blinded him and he himself, admitted that he shouldn’t have been so naive to leave LeBron like he did. Lying about returning to Boston to their fans was not the best option, but people change their minds and things happen. For the Nets, drama had been surrounding the franchise ever since he got there and it is understandable for him to want to leave that behind him. Lastly, his sample size for the Mavericks has been too small and the lack of depth is the reason for why their record is dropping.
Overall, Kyrie Irving is still a superstar player, regardless of what his off-the-court antics are. No matter what, he can help elevate a team’s floor and ceiling and most teams would be ecstatic to have him.
Is Kyrie Irving truly a “team killer” or is it just a false narrative? In my opinion, he is still a great player and most teams would be pleased to have him. Let me know your opinions in the comments below.
