With all due respect to Lenny Wilkens, Jimmy Cleamons, Walt Frazier, and Mark Price, Kyrie Irving is becoming one of the greatest point guards we have ever seen in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform.
In the first quarter of Cleveland’s 102-95 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks last night, Irving shuffled a pass to Richard Jefferson, who proceeded to bury a three-pointer from the left wing. That sounds like a fairly normal play for a known three-point shooting team, right? Well, it just so happens that it was Irving’s 2,000th career assist.
The assist to Jefferson, Irving’s first of the night, made him the eighth player in Cavaliers history to record 2,000 assists. The former number one overall pick in the NBA Draft joked with reporters about the milestone after last night’s win.
Via Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor:
“It’s good from a guy who doesn’t pass,” Irving joked. “It’s good. It’s nice.”
Known more as a scoring point guard, Irving has heard loads of criticism over the years with regards to his passing. This season, however, he is averaging 6.0 assists per game (near a career-high). Furthermore, “Uncle Drew,” as Irving is affectionately known, has already recorded eight double-digit assist games this year — a feat he only accomplished once during Cleveland’s 2015-16 championship campaign.
After a sluggish January, Irving averaged 7.1 assists through the month of February — a month in which the Cavaliers finished with a 9-2 record. If Irving and the Cavs can continue at this pace, there won’t be much for his nay-sayers to talk about.
LeBron James talked about Irving’s play-style and importance to the team.
“Kyrie is more than just a playmaker, he’s more than just a scorer,” James recently said of Irving. “He’s one of our leaders.”
While it’s true that he is passing the ball more efficiently this season, Irving is still considered to be one of the best scorers in the NBA (24.6 points per game). Milestones are certainly worth noting, but Irving knows that the ultimate goal is defending the Larry O’Brien trophy alongside his teammates in June.
