Will Kyrie Irving play like a top five PG this season?

[Real Deal]

Last year (rookie)...

 

18.5 PPG on 46.9% FG, 39.9% 3PT (3.6 ATT/G), 5.4 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 30.5 MPG

 

Those are pretty damn good numbers as a rookie PG with Antawn Jamison as your best (and only) teammate.

 

You can assume that CP3, Williams, and Rondo will be ahead of the pack.

 

With Rose injured, Nash teamed with two superstars and an all-star, and Tony Parker's teammates all aging as well...can Irving rank in the top five?

 

CP3

Williams

Rondo

Westbrook

 

Possible?

[Abro]

At the end of their respected careers, he will be better than D-Rose, you can count on that.

Edited October 15, 2012 by Abro

[Real Deal]

At the end of their respected careers, he will be better than D-Rose, you can count on that.

Whoa...that's a big time statement, seeing that Rose has already added an MVP to his accomplishments. What makes you think this?

[Cleveland's Finest]

Last year (rookie)...

 

18.5 PPG on 46.9% FG, 39.9% 3PT (3.6 ATT/G), 5.4 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 30.5 MPG

 

Those are pretty damn good numbers as a rookie PG with Antawn Jamison as your best (and only) teammate.

 

You can assume that CP3, Williams, and Rondo will be ahead of the pack.

 

With Rose injured, Nash teamed with two superstars and an all-star, and Tony Parker's teammates all aging as well...can Irving rank in the top five?

 

CP3

Williams

Rondo

Westbrook

 

Possible?

 

Anderson Varejao is not only a teammate too, but a top 10 center in the NBA. And Tristan Thompson is also a quality player.

 

As for the question, I think Kyrie will be kind of like Rondo or Parker, where he is never looked at as the best point guard and always seems to fly under the radar. In terms of playoff success, the sky is the limit for him. He's such a smooth point guard and finds ways to get to the basket like I've never seen.

[DunkinDerozan]

I think CP3, Dwill, Rondo and Westbrook are all ahead of him. After that its a tossup between Irving, Tony Parker and Steve Nash for that 5th spot. I think Irving will out play both of them this year and will be the 5th best PG in the NBA.

[ChosenOne]

At the end of their respected careers, he will be better than D-Rose, you can count on that.

 

Yeah idk about this. Irving will be a great pg when it's all said and done but idk about better than Rose. Seeing like Brandon mentioned he has an MVP already and has already carried his team into a top three record in the league. I don't see Irving being a pg that can carry his team night in and night out unlike Rose.

 

With that being said I think Irving will be a top 5 pg next year (due to rise being hurt). Boy is gonna kill shit next year.

[Real Deal]

Anderson Varejao is not only a teammate too, but a top 10 center in the NBA. And Tristan Thompson is also a quality player.

Well, that comment was regarding offensive threats. I don't really consider Varejao one, and besides, he only played 25 games.

 

Tristan doesn't do enough to warrant a mention, in my opinion. He shoots under 45% for a big man, and if it wasn't for Varejao's injury (and Ryan Hollins being worthless and eventually waived), Thompson would have been coming off the bench all season long. Without looking, I doubt he even averaged double-digit scoring.

[JYD]

Yeah, I like Irving. I think he can be top 5...but I would still hands down take those other 4-5 PG's going into this season.

[Check my Stats]

We all thought Tyreke Evans was Dwyane Wade 2.0. Just some food for thought.

[Real Deal]

We all thought Tyreke Evans was Dwyane Wade 2.0. Just some food for thought.

I was wondering who would bring him up first, haha. He put up that 20/5/5 that everyone wishes they could do as a rookie, and I remember comparing them to LeBron's rookie numbers, just for the sake of discussion.

 

To be fair, though, the Kings were playing him three different positions...but a lot of his problems are his fault as well.

[Check my Stats]

Different players obviously, Kyrie is way more skilled offensively (almost like the Kobe-LeBron debate of old) and Tyreke is just a god damn pitbull for the rim. Kyrie has huge potential but he is playing on a team that is going to be HORRIBLE offensively. They were 25th in points a game last year, and they lost their 2nd leading scorer. I don't see Kyrie's efficiency going up from 47% from the field or 40% from 3, and I think we would all be shocked if he somehow got 6 assists a night. I am expecting numbers like 21 a night on 44% from the field with 5-6 assists. This is going to be another brutal season in Cleveland, and hopefully they don't botch another pick. Waiters and Tristan bring nothing to the table to help Kyrie (right now).

 

That Derrick Rose comparison is ridiculous, also. Talk to me when Kyrie wins an MVP (even if it is undeserved like Rose's) and can continue to produce when teams are actually game planning for him, like they probably will this year. I love the kid, but damn.

 

But yeah, basically I expect almost identical production this year with more volume and less efficiency. This team is horrible. I feel bad for the kid, and I feel bad for CF because those fans deserve better (I know, I know, they had LeBron, but they [expletive]ed that up, and now they are [expletive]ing up with Kyrie too... its sickening. Imagine a Kyrie-Jonas-Barnes core? Is that not a contender for the next decade? I don't get how some of these Gm's [expletive] up when its right in front of their face, its not even a hindsight being 20-20 situation... smh)

Edited October 16, 2012 by Check my Stats

[Cleveland's Finest]

But yeah, basically I expect almost identical production this year with more volume and less efficiency. This team is horrible. I feel bad for the kid, and I feel bad for CF because those fans deserve better (I know, I know, they had LeBron, but they [expletive]ed that up, and now they are [expletive]ing up with Kyrie too... its sickening. Imagine a Kyrie-Jonas-Barnes core? Is that not a contender for the next decade? I don't get how some of these Gm's [expletive] up when its right in front of their face, its not even a hindsight being 20-20 situation... smh)

 

I appreciate your sincerity, but I beg to differ about the bolded part.

 

It is merely the second year with Kyrie. I am also tired of hearing about Tristan's faults. It's not just from non-Cleveland fans. People rip him apart like he was a bust last season. Meanwhile, check out this draft redo that was made during last season. I specifically remembered it:

 

http://www.discusshoops.com/forums/topic/28491-the-2011-nba-draft-and-david-thorpes-redo/

 

As you can see Tristan is picked to go 2nd! I'm not saying this is 100 percent correct, but Tristan is much better than he has gotten credit for. He has put on a lot of weight (in a good way) for this upcoming season and has looked much better attacking the basket. I'm not saying potential all-star, not yet (seen too little of him), but he has the makings of a solid starting power forward. He averaged 10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds as a starter, and shot over 60 percent from the line the final two months of the season, which is a great improvement over his terrible free throw shooting numbers in college. He's had one year, and as you can see in the link above, some people think he may have been worthy of the second pick. It's not just the numbers. When you see him play, he looks like he can belong. He has the size, some moves, and the toughness to be a starting big man.

 

And another thing--it is way too early to judge Dion. Let's see the dude play first. He has gotten in better shape since Camp Scott started and has definitely been more disciplined. Let's see how he adjusts to this culture change. He may play off the bench just like Tristan at the beginning of last year, but that's not a bad thing. The goal is to develop these guys the right way, not force them into the mix and maximize their current undeveloped talents.

 

Waiters brings scoring to the backcourt, which we lacked once Sessions left. Kyrie will get this help back in Dion.

 

Zeller does not have much a ceiling, but what he is now is pretty good. He knows the game, can shoot free throws, hit the mid-range jumper, and with Zydrunas back in the organization, Tyler has a great mentor who can teach him how to succeed in the NBA.

 

CJ Miles looks to have been a great addition. It's a brand new environment for him, where he will probably be starting (90% sure).

 

I'm optimistic about Tristan, Dion, Tyler, and CJ this season.

 

There are three players I'm worried about:

 

1 - Kyrie: I really hope he doesn't have a sophomore slump.

2 - Anderson - I hope he isn't out half the season for the third straight year.

3 - Alonzo - I hope he doesn't drop off, because he has not been too good since rejoining the team. If he can put up 12 a game like he did when he started, I'll be satisfied.

 

And comparing Kyrie to Tyreke is unfair. The Kings organization is a mess. Give the Cavs a chance. All I know is they got a lot better last season, and should be a little better this season.

 

People are jumping to conclusions way too soon. Let Chris Grant do his thing. As a really passionate fan, I have no problem with anything they have done thus far. The only possible gripe is drafting Dion, but seeing how confident they are in him, I am willing to see how it plays out. I love the CJ signing. I'm excited to see Samardo because he has gotten into amazing shape, and I look forward to seeing Omri fight for a starting job as it looks like he has improved. They were in the race for the 8 seed last year until Kyrie went down. That's a good enough improvement for me in year 2 after LeBron's departure. The goal is to be in the race all season, and then the races are off for 2013-2014.

Edited October 17, 2012 by Cleveland's Finest

[The Lone Granger]

Honestly, I think he could. Granted, he's missed some time due to injury this off-season, but he's back at full strength and ready to go. He's got a good core of players built around him, and he's improved a lot offensively over the course of this off-season. I know for a fact that he's worked hard to develop his three-point game, and he's also improved his mid-range game as well. Should be a very good season for him. That being said, being in a top-5 of Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook is going to be tough. Tony Parker is going to be his main competitor if you ask me. Very well could.

[Nitro]

How are we ranking the top 5? Based on ability and skill, or production?

 

Ability and skill? No. Those 4 guys plus Nash/Rose are proven commodities, and all but Westbrook have led very good teams as the #1 guy to the playoffs and farther. They also did it with big time production and leadership. Irving could very well blow up and do the same types of things this season, and he certainly has the talent. He is not Tyreke...he is not stuck between position like he was, and he's a lot more polished and well-rounded as a scorer and passer. He just needs to learn the in's and out's of the game and how to be a great leader. He's capable of both, but those other guys are proven and have done a lot as franchise players.

 

Production? Definitely. With Rose's injury, and Parker not being as heavily relied on to make things happen as Irving, I can definitely see him being top 5 as far as stats go.