Kyrie Irving is evolving into an all-around star

Kyrie Irving’s development as a defender and passer is quickly turning him into an all-around star for the Boston Celtics, and pushing his MVP narrative.

It hasn’t been as smooth of a year for the Celtics as many have predicted. The Celtics would have to win 36 of their remaining 45 games to match their predicted win-total of 60. And while the Celtics currently sit at the five seed at 24-15, things seem to be turning a corner after a 10-10 start.

The main reason for their recent success has to do with growing comfort and chemistry of the team as a whole, yet an underlying aspect is Kyrie Irving’s emergence as a leader and an all-around star. During their struggles, Irving also struggled with how he could help his team to the best of his ability. There were times when the Celtics needed Irving to go ballistic and unleash “untucked Kyrie” – simply ask the Sixers and Wizards.

However, there were other times when the Celtics needed him to facilitate the offense and just bring positive energy to the team. During this 14-5 stretch that the Celtics have been on since Thanksgiving, there is no denying the strides that Irving has made on his overall game, essentially vaulting himself right back into the MVP discussion.

On offense, you can see Irving using his unique set of skills to not only create his own shot but to find open shots for teammates and put his surrounding players in positions to succeed. Irving overall has done a much better job of penetrating, driving into the paint and finding open looks for his teammates. He is using his explosive first-step and wizard-like ball handling to find the open man, whereas, in the past, he would attempt those shots himself putting himself in difficult situations.

Irving is averaging 6.6 assists on the year, continuing with his career trend of increasing assists almost every season. Additionally, Irving is posting the best assist percentage of his career at 32.9% to go along with one of his best offensive seasons to date, posting a robust 112.7 offensive rating. This ranks 7th in the league among players with a usage rate of 28 or above behind perennial all-NBA talents, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, and surprisingly Lou Williams.

On the defensive side of the ball, Irving has also had a significant impact. He has often been criticized for his play on defense, not for lack of skill but lack of effort. A hole in the Celtics team that opponents often looked to exploit now is seemingly being repaired.

Since coming to Boston, Irving has posted his two best defensive seasons of his career. Currently averaging a career high in steals and blocks to go along with one of the best defensive ratings of his career. A considerable part of it has to be the overwhelming support he gets from being surrounded by a plethora of talented defenders.

Additionally, playing in a system that consistently ranks in the top ten of defense certainly promotes the additional defensive effort. However, Irving always possessed the tools to be a good defender, with his unique balance of height, length, and lateral quickness. It seems like now he is finally putting all those pieces to fruition.