Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving Perfect For MIP

Last season, Goran Dragic was able to elevate his game to new heights, taking with him the rest of the Phoenix Suns, who were supposed to be very, very weak in a very, very strong Western Conference. Along with half a season’s help from Eric Bledsoe, Dragic managed to lift his team to the cusp of the playoffs, only to get edged out by the veteran Dallas Mavericks.

Such an unlikely and impressive feat was enough to win Dragic the league’s Most Improved Player award. The main reason any player wins Most Improved is because they are able to show out in some unexpected way at an elite level. Usually, these types of seasons are called “breakouts,” and thus it’s very difficult for a single player to win the award multiple times.

Quite often, big name players are often left out of the discussion for this award. The reason being, of course, that they already are making an astounding impact on team success while also putting up desirable numbers. The elites among the elite in the league almost shrug off the importance of the award, since it’s never in the minds of guys like Chris Paul, LeBron James or Kevin Durant to attempt to secure it when they can win the Most Valuable Player award instead.

Kyrie Irving can be placed in the category of big names in the league. It’s close, but I think he’s there. We must remind ourselves that he is only going into his fourth NBA season and often comes up in talks about the best point guards in the game. So perhaps it makes sense then that Kyrie wouldn’t be thinking about going after a prize that he might deem beneath himself to win.

But he should be.

And here’s why. Irving has a great shot at actually winning the award by doing what he’s already going to be expected to do; improve in all facets of the game, put up better numbers and help generate more wins. MIP is often given to younger players because they still have the opportunity to make that leap to the elite. While Kyrie is an elite player in some ways already, he still resides in that second tier of the highest level players in the league. At the tender age of 22, he’s still got buckets of time to make that next push.

And yet what better time to do it than the inaugural season of the Cavs’ Big Three?

Irving averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on 43.0 percent shooting from the field and 35.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc in 2013-14. He also had a PER of 20.1.

Those stats are very good, but also vastly improvable. Imagine him scoring a bit less and having his assist totals shoot up along with his shooting percentages and efficiency. This is something that’s doable in the upcoming season. With David Blatt’s new system in place, passing the ball should become a thing of beauty among the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kyrie also has better finishers around him this time around. That alone leads to things like this on the fast break:

And as for his efficiency, when Irving isn’t handling the ball, it will be in the hands of LeBron, who is a distributing wiz. There will be times when Kyrie has to do nothing at all but spot up on the three-point line and wait for one of James’ bullet passes to come barreling his way. As we know (the most recent example being FIBA), Kyrie is an absolutely cold-blooded shooter.

With those two major stats rising, Irving should be an immediate contender for MIP. The fact that his last season took a bit of a dive compared to his first two is a bonus as well. It’s like that split second in time when you’re at the bottom of your jump on a trampoline, with all of the force in your legs pushing down and your body getting ready to explode upwards. Irving’s slight dip in numbers and a losing season will make a sudden and major turnaround make him look all the more magnificent.

And who can forget motivation? Knowing that he could actually win some hardware for just doing what he’s already planning on doing would be extra incentive to have a great, complete season. The Cavs don’t need any more motivation as a squad, but Kyrie having something specifically geared towards him wouldn’t hurt.

So while it may not be necessarily on Kyrie’s radar to chase MIP this coming season, it’s certainly on the minds of those who are planning on watching him for the full 82-game stretch. He may never even think about it once, but undoubtedly he should end up in the running for the award. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll be the one holding it in surprise come the spring.