• Kyrie Irving was looking like one of the best point guards in the NBA when he won the 2016 title with the Cavaliers
• After leaving LeBron James and the Cavaliers in 2017, Irving hasn’t had the same success
• After three consecutive Finals appearances from 2015 to 2017 with LeBron, Kyrie hasn’t made it past the second round of the playoffs since
The 2011 NBA Draft saw some of the league’s future superstars like Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson get drafted, but the one name that was supposed to overshadow them was No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving.
Irving burst onto the NBA as an incredible rookie, making the All-Star team as a sophomore and being the piece that made LeBron James want to return to the Cavs after four years with the Miami Heat. The pair instantly gelled together and made the NBA Finals in all three seasons they played together.
Irving averaged 22.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists over three seasons alongside LeBron and hit the shot that sealed the Cavs’ improbable 2016 championship win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2lKIW9TNjk
Unfortunately, after losing to the Warriors in the 2017 Finals, Irving decided he needed to lead a team on his own instead of being the co-star next to LeBron. This led to him forcing a trade to the Boston Celtics. Since that trade, Irving has not been able to win at the highest level.
Kyrie Irving’s Seasons Have Ended In Disappointment
The 2017-18 season was Irving’s first season free of the Cavaliers, as he hoped to make the Boston Celtics the next powerhouse in the East. With young stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, the Celtics had all the tools to succeed. Sadly, Irving couldn’t play in the Celtics’ Conference Finals run after being sidelined due to knee surgery in April 2018. He averaged 24.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 60 games for that season.
The 2018-19 season was disastrous for Irving, as the relationship between the Celtics and Kyrie fell apart completely. After hinting at signing an extension, Irving promptly started distancing himself from the franchise while still playing for them. He dazzled on the court and averaged 23.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.9 assists in 67 games. However, it looked like Irving checked out of the franchise and couldn’t lead them past the second round while healthy, losing to the Bucks.
Kyrie would move to the Brooklyn Nets for the 2019-20 season but barely play in an injury-ridden year. His few performances had fans expecting big things, as he looked like a superstar with Kevin Durant sidelined and even had a 50-point game. He averaged 27.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 20 games during this throwaway season, not even playing in the Bubble despite the Nets making the playoffs.
The 2020-21 season was supposed to be the one where the Nets would win it all. They had one of the best teams in the NBA, with KD and James Harden alongside Irving. Injuries meant that all three would rarely play together. A playoff run where they were widely expected to end as champions was ruined due to injuries to both Harden and Irving, as the Nets lost a seven-game series to the Bucks in the second round. He averaged 26.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 54 games during the season.
The worst was yet to come, as the 2021-22 season was pure chaos in Brooklyn. Irving sat out most of the season due to a refusal to get vaccinated. He never got the jab and waited for New York to lift a mandate on compulsory vaccination, which allowed him to step into a discombobulated Nets team in February. By then, Harden had enough of Irving’s antics and demanded a trade. Irving was great when he did play but couldn’t win a playoff game that year, getting swept in the first round by eventual finalists and former team, the Celtics. He averaged 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 29 games.
Irving shocked the NBA world when, only days before the 2023 NBA trade deadline, he requested a trade from the Nets. He averaged 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 40 games for the Nets before he was sent to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2023.
The Mavs were the four-seed at the time of the trade but collapsed down the standings after losing Dorian Finney-Smith in that trade and an injury-plagued Luka Doncic. Irving was very good in the limited games he played for Dallas, averaging 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 20 games, but the team missed the play-in tournament and finished as the 11th seed.
Fans of Irving will be optimistic about his chances of succeeding with Doncic, though the fit on-court is still yet to be figured out. The Mavericks aren’t immediate title contenders, so a deep playoff run may continue to elude him for the foreseeable future. But with a long-term contract in hand and a franchise that has done everything to accommodate Irving, hopefully, he rediscovers the spark that made him a champion at the age of 24.
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