LeBron James has voiced his support for Kyrie Irving in a bid for league MVP this season. After coming off an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal in Rio over the summer, Irving has continued to ride that wave and has been outstanding to start this campaign. Registering over twenty points in every outing so far this season, the Cavs’ scoring machine has put the league on notice that he is a very real MVP candidate.
Along with the league, teammates have also seen the confidence and swagger Kyrie is playing with at the moment. One of those teammates is the leader, LeBron James, who is no stranger to playing and understanding greatness in teammates. He has always believed in Kyrie, and his ability to be special.
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“He’s the best point guard in our league for me,” LeBron told Allie Clifton after a win on the road against the Wizards last season, which Kyrie poured in a game defining 32 points.
LeBron continued his mantra after the Cavs won the NBA championship, where Kyrie averaged 27 points per game, the highest scoring average by a teammate LeBron has ever had. James spoke about Irving at the Cavs championship parade.
“He thought I was blowing up his a—when I said he could be the best point guard in our league and also be an MVP in our league. And I saw that every single one of y’all saw the finals and you saw what this guy is capable of doing.”
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Now, to begin this new campaign the story hasn’t changed. When asked about Kyrie before the Cavs hosted the Rockets on Tuesday night, LeBron had no hesitation in endorsing Uncle Drew again.
“Why not? I think the sky’s the limit for the kid, he’s only (24) years old,” James said. “He hasn’t even gotten to his prime yet.
“He doesn’t have any weaknesses, especially offensively. He’s been great so far. If guys take away his driving lanes, he’s able to create off the dribble, make pull-up jumpers. He can shoot the 3-ball too, so, he doesn’t have any weaknesses offensively so it doesn’t matter.”
It’s safe to say, LeBron and the Cavs are ‘all in’ on continuing to help Irving improve and realize his potential. He’s already earned the respect of his teammates, already showed the Warriors what he can do, and now he’s letting the rest of the NBA know as well.
The season has only just begun, and he’s already produced two memorable clutch moments that resulted in Cavalier victories. The top of the key three-pointer to beat the Raptors on the road last week was the first, and his dagger three-pointer from his favorite spot last night to sink the Rockets are both plays we can get used to seeing in close games.
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He is averaging 26.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and four assists per game on 47% shooting from the field, and 53% from three point range. They are blistering stats to begin a campaign, when most players are still trying to find their feet, Kyrie is flourishing.
The Cavs are fortunate enough to have two genuine MVP candidates on the same team, but look for LeBron and the Cavs to continue to fuel his fire, as Kyrie Irving produces an MVP worthy season.