Kyrie Irving is the coldest motherfcker ever

[DoctorP]

25 points on 27 shots. How does he do it?

Oof

Hero baller.

Sick moves though

[insight]

Oof

Hero baller.
will
Sick moves though

Best moves in the game but I'm taking Trae all day in 2020. Kyrie is useless when his shot is not falling, Trae gives you 11 assist and 30 points on an off shooting night.

[CTbasketball92]

Kyrie is great and to me unquestionably a top 15 player. His feel for the game has gotten a lot better on both ends since 2016. His game to game floor is higher when hes not hitting his shots (which is somewhat rare). He was only okay tonight, he only salvaged the game with that amazing fourth quarter. What's a bit unfortunate is that he's never gotten his free throw up to over 6 a game. I'm not sure if it's a lack of burst or just an approach, but that's the sole reason he'll never average over 27 a game. He just kept missing shot after shot tonight and he really needed to force his way to the rim and get to the line. He should get to the line at least 5 or 6 times a game this year. This team needs him to get at least 25 a game and thats hard to do without free throws. Trae Young is unreal and possibly already a better player. His free throw rate and passing advantage are significant. Both amazing.

[ShawkFactory]

Best moves in the game but I'm taking Trae all day in 2020. Kyrie is useless when his shot is not falling, Trae gives you 11 assist and 30 points on an off shooting night.

I wonder if people will learn to not follow at full speed when Trae blows by them. He’s going in to the center there. He’ll find the open guy or hit a runner but that’s better than just giving him 2 free throws.

[LoneyROY7]

He needs to learn how to not play hero ball when he has a 7ft scoring beast next to him.

[ShawkFactory]

This is his entire career.Bad all game, wakes up in 4th.You need someone to carry him until 4th

Correct.

He’s a shot maker. One of the best we’ve seen.

But he’s not a load bearer.

He’ll never win as the best player on a team. He needs a LeBron or a KD to pick up the slack for him when he’s not hitting. When his shot isn’t falling he isn’t a great player.

There are a few guys who can go 6-18 from the field and still make an impact but Kyrie cannot. And there’s nothing wrong with that be he isn’t the coldest dude alive for that reason.

His game has improved overall but he still needs someone to mask him sometimes.

He and KD are a scary couple

[CTbasketball92]

Correct.

He’s a shot maker. One of the best we’ve seen.

But he’s not a load bearer.

He’ll never win as the best player on a team. He needs a LeBron or a KD to pick up the slack for him when he’s not hitting. When his shot isn’t falling he isn’t a great player.

There are a few guys who can go 6-18 from the field and still make an impact but Kyrie cannot. And there’s nothing wrong with that be he isn’t the coldest dude alive for that reason.

His game has improved overall but he still needs someone to mask him sometimes.

He and KD are a scary couple

I feel like this is selling him a bit short. He was completely fine being the hub of the offense in Boston, and that team wasn't even maximized for his skillset. It's not like he's some super streaky player, he's averaged about 25/6 on 60 TS% for the last four years.

Also, I saw plenty of games in Boston and even a few last year where he had really good games but wasn't hitting a lot of shots. He has a higher IQ than people realize and having him on the court is valuable whether or not he's scoring. I'll say his peak ability is like a top 8 player, but then his floor can be pretty bad. But when he went to Boston, he raised his floor a lot by learning to be savvy, refining his playmaking and improving on defense. I'll say, he doesn't have the floor or ceiling of a true top 25 ever sort of offensive player, like James Harden or Kobe. It's his free throws being low that keeps it that way. If he got to the line 7 or 8 times a game he'd average like 29-30 instead of 24 or 25. Harden can miss most of his shots and still get 30 points, and Kyrie is someone that can get like, 20 if he's missing most of his shots. He used to be a big negative when that happened, but now it's more like he's a neutral or minor positive when his shot's not falling.

I do think this is a good role for him though. like a 1b.

[rplozano23]

CTBasketball92 i’ve been reading your analysis on Kyrie Irving since 2016. You give a very accurate assessement of his game. You are obviously a fan just like I am. Its very frustrating that Kyrie cant get to the free throw line as much to boost his scoring. He has the sexiest game and most complete skill set which is ideal in crunch time, and yet he cant average more than 27 ppg because he cant get to the line when on an off night. Its even more frustrating how a guy like Trey Young and the 2016-17 version of IT can average more free throws with less size, speed and “skill” or moves. He needs to boost his FTA to be a truly dominant scorer.

[3ball]

He's grown leaps and bounds since 2016

Bullshit - Kyrie's career Finals average is the same as Lebron (28 ppg) and he destroyed the only unanimous MVP in league history - he's never played better (dominating Curry) and won that championship by hitting the winning shot

[tpols]

He's grown leaps and bounds since 2016,

Troll post. Mods?

You cant grow leaps and bounds from this.

[GrayGoat]

Troll post. Mods?

You cant grow leaps and bounds from this.

Agree. LeBron made Kyrie work out. In 2016 Kyrie actually had some muscle on his frame and could handle some contact. Now he’s too thin and weak

[insight]

Troll post. Mods?

You cant grow leaps and bounds from this.

Where are the assist, where are the other areas of his game that have grown that affect winning ? Kyrie is one of the best shot makers if not the best but he has limited himself to just being an elite scorer. These new guards like Trae can score and create for their teammates, that's next level.

[jayfan]

Your crazy! Trae didn't hit a 3 pointer all night. He just was smart enough to set-up his teammates instead of just chucking shots up. Nets really talented but ain't that good.

Rondo paying dividends for Trae/Hawks already.

[tpols]

Where are the assist, where are the other areas of his game that have grown that affect winning ? Kyrie is one of the best shot makers if not the best but he has limited himself to just being an elite scorer. These new guards like Trae can score and create for their teammates, that's next level.

Trae hasn't proven anything in the playoffs yet so that's just nothing right now. I will gladly give him his due if he does. Regardless that's not the point. OP is mesmerized by Kyries current play which is still mostly coming from his superstar scoring ability. He's averaging 28 ppg on 131 ORTG with only 6 apg so it's still his scoring that is as dominant as ever.

[ArbitraryWater]

Troll post. Mods?

You cant grow leaps and bounds from this.

Yeah, that 3-game sample is who Kyrie was.


He's grown immensely as a player since then.

He was an MVP candidate in Boston.

He didn't even make the all-star team in Cleveland in 2015 and struggled for All-NBA in 15/16.

Its only normal he's improved.

He got better every year to begin with, and was only 24 in 2016.

Do I really need to spell it out?
20/3/5 on 45% shooting, 32% from 3 - 2016
He's a 28 ppg scorer now, shooting nearly 50% (in fact over that this year).

Your agenda is transparent.