For the first time in his career, Cleveland Cavaliers' star point guard Kyrie Irving was not selected to join the East all-star team last February. This is due to a knee injury he suffered during the 2015 NBA finals which they eventually lost to the Golden State Warriors. Irving was slowed down to start the season, after which may have affected his all-star selection.
Irving suffered an awful knee injury that forced him to sit as he watched the Golden State Warriors defeat his team in the 2015 NBA championship. Despite starting slow the next season and after an all-star snub, Irving bounced back with a different mindset and stated that he came out stronger than ever. He said he had more confidence after being through a lot of things, according to Bleacher Report.
Irving's six-year career is nothing but sensational. Starting as a young 19-year-old rookie, he proved to be a responsible and dependable player in the court. Trying to lead his team at such a young age, Irving has put the Cavs on his shoulder. He is not the average point guard that can be compared to former all-stars Jason Kidd or Magic Johnson. Assists do not come on a nightly basis as Irving is best defined as a combo guard.
When head coach Tyronn Lue took over the Cavs last season, he was able to lessen the pressure on Irving. Lue addressed that Irving is not known for dominating a game with his passing skills and said that his star point guard is an elite scorer that aggressively attacks the basket which creates opportunities for other teammates.
Playing in the shadows of superstar teammate LeBron James, Irving stepped down as a sidekick from being the franchise player. In a recent interview with James, he stated that Irving has no weaknesses specifically on the offensive end and he has been doing great so far this season, via Cleveland.com.
With Irving's current offensive pacing, He can become the only player in the NBA who can outscore James for an entire NBA season as a teammate. Irving is impressively leading the Cavs with 25 points per game while James averages 21. James continues to praise his star point guard and said that Irving is the best finisher in the game right now and continues to shine as the Cavs try to defend their title this season.
