NBA: Player Rankings – Week 9

15. Kyrie Irving (PG, Cleveland Cavaliers)

Dec 29, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) reacts after scoring against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

To say Cleveland is struggling this year would be a compliment. With hopes and dreams of making a playoff run in the weaker Eastern Conference, the Cavs have posted a 10-20 record and sit in the No. 10 seed. Something very weird is going on in Cleveland these days; needless to say, they have been a bit disappointing as we all expected them to, at the very least, contend. Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, has played quite well despite his team’s suffering. This season Irving has averaged 22.6 points, 6.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game while posting a PER of 20.18, which ranks 7th among point guards this season. With Irving having to take a majority of the offensive load on his back so far, his assists numbers have suffered while the Cavs are lacking in another scoring option besides Irving. With questions surrounding Irving asking if he will leave after the 2015 season, the Cavs need to surround Irving with talent in order to keep him in Cleveland. Although Irving is one of the elite point guards in the league, it is unlikely that Cleveland makes a playoff run with the supporting cast that surrounds their star player.