Cleveland Cavaliers: Can Mike Brown Develop Kyrie Irving Into A Superstar?

Will Kyrie Irving thrive in a defense-first system? (Photo Credit: slimm978, Flickr.com)

At just 21 years old, Kyrie Irving has already made quite a name for himself.

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Irving with the first overall pick in the 2011 draft and the 6’3″ point guard lived up to the hype by taking home the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in a landslide vote.

Irving turned in even better results in his sophomore campaign of 2012-13, which included his first appearance in the NBA All-Star Game as a reserve for the Eastern Conference.

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The only negatives for the former Duke standout have been injury woes and his team’s lack of success, which, to some extent, are a package deal. Irving missed 15 games in 2011-12 and 23 games this season due to a variety of ailments.

Although luck has been on the side of the Cavaliers in the years since the departure of LeBron James, those fortunes have not included winning. Under coach Byron Scott, the team posted dismal records in three-straight seasons.

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On a positive note, the Cavaliers are a bigger threat to win with Irving in the lineup. In his rookie season of 2011-12, the Cavaliers went 17-34 (.333) with a healthy Irving, compared to 4-11 (.266) when he was sidelined. Likewise in 2012-13, the team was 19-40 (.322) with their star floor general in action, but won just 5 of 23 (.217) games without his services.

Irving dropped in 15 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, collected three rebounds, and dished out four assists in his All-Star debut on Feb. 17.

He also left the weekend-long event with a trophy to show for his winning effort in the 3-point contest.

The accolades have highlighted Irving’s individual talents as a rising star in the league, but more importantly his team needs to win considerably more games in 2013-14 for him to take the next step toward being an elite player.

Management apparently felt the same way when they fired Scott, who paid the price for three losing seasons. Beginning his second stint as head coach of the Cavaliers, Mike Brown will be expected to guide a young team–that could potentially get even younger–upward in the standings.

Canadian Tristan Thompson was taken fourth overall by the Cavaliers in the same draft as Irving. The 6’8″ forward showed value in his sophomore season, posting averages of 11.7 points and 9.4 rebounds in 82 starts in 2012-13.

The Cavaliers are set at the power forward spot with Tristan Thompson. (NBA.com photo)

Last June, the Cavaliers chose shooting guard Dion Waiters with the fourth pick of Round 1 to pair with Irving in the backcourt.

Now back to present day, where the Cavaliers find themselves winners of the Draft Lottery for the second time in three years, leaping over three teams with better odds at landing the first pick. This draft lacks a consensus pick, but the Cavs will choose from a class of players with promise, such as Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore and Anthony Bennett.

So what does this all mean for Brown and the development of Irving?

Well, the new bench boss will have his hands full trying to improve a defense that surrendered 102.1 points per game last season, for a ranking of 23rd it that category. Furthermore, he will be imparting his area of expertise on a young group that may require constant supervision to master the craft.

For that to work, the most important ingredient might be the need for Irving to by into the system and also lead in it by example. As young as he still is, let alone the other core pieces on the team, Irving is also the leader.

Mike Brown is a defensive-minded coach. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison,Flickr.com)

On the other hand, Brown, who is known for running an offense that is something less than creative, will have to ensure that he does not stifle Irving’s strengths of pushing the ball, scoring and finding teammates for easy looks.

Irving has already proven how far he can go individually on a losing team. Most likely, he could maintain his own success and popularity if the Cavaliers struggles were to continue. Entering his third season, Irving’s chances of becoming a superstar rest largely on his own shoulders and depend on his motivation.

But Brown will be relied upon to tighten the screws in the defensive system and bring hard-nosed, winning basketball back to Cleveland. If Brown can do that, then he will once again rise to the top and Irving will be right there with him.