Written by Richard Hanes

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I just finished watching Kyrie Irving hit a game winning, spinning layup, in traffic, against the Boston Celtics in Boston.  It was the kid’s first NBA game winner.  It showed improvement over his missed opportunity against the Pacers.  It also showed that he has the type of killer instinct that an NBA team needs out of a star player.  That’s right I said star.  Kyrie Irving is going to be a star in the National Basketball Association.  He might not ever be the league MVP, but he is going to play in all-star games and he is going to win playoff series. 

When the Cavs took Kyrie #1 overall in last summer’s NBA Draft I supported the pick.  I did not think the combo of Derrick Williams and Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker would be better than Kyrie and whoever they took at #4.  The point guard position is extremely important.  I wanted the best one no matter what and I felt Kyrie was just that.  Even with all of that being said, I wasn’t sure if Kyrie would be an All-Star lock during his career.  I was unsure about his ability to be a #1 or #2 scoring option on a legit playoff team.  I thought he was going to be good, but he has already blown away my expectations.  Kyrie’s ability to push the ball, weave through traffic, and finish at the rim is already amazing.  His jumper is smooth and he shown the ability to knock down the 3-ball through 19 games.  I don’t think any of us really knew what we were getting when we drafted Kyrie Irving, but I am pretty sure we are all pretty happy so far.

But exactly how happy?  How good is Kyrie Irving right now?  How does he match up against the NBA’s best point guards?  I’m not talking about the NBA’s best point guards in their rookie seasons either.  I mean in 2012.  Let’s check it out.

First let’s determine who the NBA’s ten best point guards are.  This list could probably be debated in its own blog, but for now just humor me and go with it.

1)Derrick Rose PG Chi

2)Chris Paul PG LAC

3)Deron Williams PG NJ

4)Russell Westbrook PG OKC

5)Rajon Rondo PG Bos

6)Steve Nash PG PhX

7)Tony Parker PG SA

8)Ricky Rubio PG Min

9)John Wall PG Was

10)Brandon Jennings PG Mil

Honorable mention – Stephen Curry PG GS, Lou Williams PG Phil, Mike Conley PG Mem, Kyle Lowry PG Hou, Tyreke Evans PG Sac.

So where does Kyrie fit in right now?  Well I think we can all agree that Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams are clearly better when you compare them to Kyrie at this exact moment in time.  After those three players the conversation gets surprisingly interesting.  For those of you that like the new world stats of John Hollinger you will notice that Kyrie Irving is sitting 5^th overall in the NBA in PER at 22.25.  Irving is only .15 behind Russell Westbrook on Hollinger’s rankings and solidly ahead of Rajon Rondo who comes in at 11^th.  Hollinger’s stats aren’t everything though as Lou Williams is actually 3^rd in PER in the NBA going into today’s games, but he doesn’t even make my Top 10.  Let’s put Westbrook and Rondo aside for a moment. 

The next five players on my top 10 are an interesting mix of young guns and grizzled vets.  All five players assist the basketball more than Kyrie, but only Jennings outscores Kyrie at 20.0 ppg.  What I feel sets Kyrie apart from this group is that he shoots over 50% from the field (Only Nash better), is a good FT shooter at 81.2%, shoots the 3-ball better than all five at 40.4%, turns the ball over less than everyone but Parker at 3.3 TPG, and actually blocks a few shots at .50 per game all in only 28.1 minutes per game, which is 27^th overall amongst all point guards.  What I am getting at here is that I would take Kyrie Irving right now over all point guards that are sitting 6^th or lower on my list, including fellow rookie Ricky Rubio.

This brings us back to Westbrook and Rondo. 

Westbrook gives you 20.8 ppg, 5.8 apg, 4.7 rpg, 2.0 spg, 3.8 tpg while shooting .456 from the field, .781 from the free throw stripe, and .268 from downtown in 33.8 minutes per game. 

Rondo’s line is as follows.  15.0 ppg. 9.4 apg, 5.0 rpg, 1.7 spg, 3.8 tpg, while shooting .517 from the field, .600 from the free throw line, and .333 from deep in 36.4 minutes per game.

Both players are really good point guards, but Kyrie is already more than holding his own against both of them.  Kyrie’s defense has been questioned at times and he definitely does not generate as many steals yet in his young career as Westbrook or Rondo so we know there is some work to be done there.  Kyrie also has not really assisted the ball all that much in his first 19 games in wine and gold.  One could say that this is because he does not much around him in terms of scoring threats so I think his assist numbers will improve as the Cavs add players around him.  Outside of these areas though, I could argue that Kyrie is already better than both Westbrook and Rondo right now. 

Kyrie is a much better scorer than Rondo and I would even take him over Westbrook.  If Kyrie played 33-34 minutes a night like Russell I would place a fairly large wager on him averaging more than 20 points per contest.  Irving is also a better shooter in all aspects of his game than both Rondo and Westbrook.  KI can finish around the rim with the best of them, has a nice mid-jumper, shoots the 3-ball much better, and is a better free throw shooter.  All of this as basically the only legit offensive threat ever on the court for the Cavs.  If Kyrie averaged 34 minutes a game instead of his 28 his line would probably look something like this.

21 ppg, 5.8 apg, 4.5 rpg, 1.2 spg, 4.0 tpg while still shooting better in basically all areas than Rondo and Westbrook.

Maybe I am looking this through the wine and gold colored glasses of a long time Cleveland sports fan, but I would take Kyrie Irving as my team’s point guard over everyone in the NBA right NOW not named Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, or Deron Williams.  Sure it’s still early and Kyrie could potentially hit a rookie wall at some point this year, but the early returns look extremely promising.