Kyrie Irving is one of the most talented offensive players of all-time at the point guard position. Irving’s ability to break down defenses with his dribbling might be his greatest gift because he can be unstoppable when he is in his bag. Among the likes of Allen Iverson and Jamal Crawford, Irving is the greatest ball-handler of all time. Irving has also had some highlights in his career as he holds an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers and averages 22.4 PPG and 5.7 APG over his career as a scoring point guard. Yet, Irving is never far away from criticism.
Kyrie Irving hit the biggest shot of the 2016 NBA Finals, but he was still the sidekick to LeBron James. He is also considered a selfish player who does not make anyone around him better, with his stint with the Boston Celtics giving evidence to that. As a result, his Hall of Fame status is questioned and many wonder if he is actually an overrated player who receives the recognition he does due to his flashy style of play and not his impact.
Here is what Kyrie Irving needs to achieve to silence the overrated claims and solidify his Hall of Fame status once and for all.
Scoring Title
The probability of Irving winning a scoring title is very unlikely because he’s playing alongside one of the greatest scorers in history Kevin Durant. Playing alongside a ball-dominant scorer like Durant means fewer shot attempts for Irving which greatly hinders his ability to put up big points on the board. Kyrie may equal his 27.4 PPG average from last season, but that is probably all he can do.
With a league of other great scorers such as James Harden, Bradley Beal, and Trae Young; Kyrie’s chance of ever winning a scoring title is slim. While that won’t be a make or break category for Irving to be in the Hall of Fame, it certainly doesn’t help.
Probability: Unlikely
Most Valuable Player Award
Kyrie Irving is a great player and a great scorer, but he is not an MVP caliber player. In fact, very few players are and Irving is not among the select company that will challenge for the MVP Award every year. Irving cannot lead a team on his own, as we have seen from his stint in Cleveland and even Boston, and he is best suited as a secondary star alongside another superstar.
He performed at his best alongside LeBron James, a legitimate MVP candidate every year, and not when he was forced to be a leader for the Boston Celtics. Kyrie Irving won’t win an MVP Award in his career, and his probability is even lower when playing alongside Kevin Durant. Durant, when healthy, is an MVP candidate and he already won the award twice in his career. So if a Brooklyn Net wins the MVP Award, is is very unlikely it’s Kyrie Irving.
Probability: Very Unlikely
NBA Championship
Kyrie Irving plays for the Brooklyn Nets, one of the most talented teams in the NBA. The Nets have Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the assets to acquire a third All-Star to pair with the superstar duo. Even if Brooklyn don’t acquire another star, they have tremendous assets such as Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert who are capable of dropping 20 points on any given night. The Nets have one of the best chances in the East to make the Finals due to their talent alone.
As a result, Kyrie Irving has placed himself in a very strong position to capture at least one more NBA title before the end of his career. Irving is already a well-deserved NBA champion with the Cavaliers, and another ring or two will greatly boost his Hall of Fame chances and perhaps end the stigma of him being an overrated player.
Probability: Likely
Finals MVP Award
Kyrie Irving is lucky to be on a great team in Brooklyn, and he very well might be an NBA champion with the Nets if Kevin Durant returns to his full form. Durant is an MVP player and one of the greatest players of all time, so Irving’s ability as a secondary star means Brooklyn have a shot to make it to the Finals where anything can happen. If Brooklyn ever wins the title, it will be Kevin Durant who is more likely to hoist the Finals MVP for the third time in his career than Irving. Especially if the Nets acquired their third star, Irving’s chances are even slimmer.
That is not to say that it won’t happen, because Irving is an offensive machine. If the Nets make it to the Finals and win the championship, Irving is very capable of putting up monster performances to win the Finals MVP Award. However, that is very unlikely considering he plays with Kevin Durant and most probably another star.
Probability: Unlikely
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