Kyrie Irving set to finally escape LeBron James’ shadow

Kyrie Irving is a star in this league, that goes without saying. But with LeBron James finally leaving the Eastern Conference, he will now get his chance to escape the significant shadow that has hovered over him throughout his career.

Kyrie Irving is 26 years old and is about to enter his eighth season in the league. He’s already an NBA champion, a five-time All-Star and one of the most recognizable stars in the association. Despite his lofty status, he’s largely found himself playing second fiddle to LeBron James, unable to escape the tag of being a secondary star to the all-time great.

Last summer, Irving appeared to want out from Cleveland, with rumours circulating that he wanted to forge his own path and be the lead man on an NBA franchise.

Irving would eventually be traded to the Boston Celtics, and from the outside, it appears the move was inevitable, with relationships beginning to fray in Cleveland the pervious season. Via ESPN, this exchange with head coach Ty Lue is indicative of some of the frustrations the former No. 1 overall pick experienced.

"“Ky,” Lue said, “I want you to play a little faster.”“Why?” Irving asked.“Because if we play faster, we get shots off easier.”“I don’t need to play faster to get my shot off,” Irving replied. “I can do that anytime.”“I’m not talking about your shot. I’m talking about RJ and JR,” Lue said, citing teammates Richard Jefferson and Smith.“Well, that’s No. 23’s job,” Irving replied, referring to James."

When Gordon Hayward went down with a sickening leg injury on opening night, the reins officially became Irving’s. He had a chance to guide the famed franchise to glory as the clear leader of the roster. Once again, it didn’t quite pan out the way he would’ve liked.

Having missed just seven games before Boston’s matchup with Washington Wizards on March 14, Irving was absent with lingering knee soreness. Per ESPN, this resulted in knee surgery, before a further procedure was required to remove previously inserted screws. The second bout of surgery was announced on the eve of the playoffs, ruling him out of the postseason and seemingly ending the Celtics’ hopes of contending for the Eastern Conference crown.

As we now know, Boston rallied to reach the Eastern Conference Finals without Irving, but inevitably, it was LeBron James who halted the Celtics’ charge.

As Irving sat on the bench in street clothes, it must have been a bitter pill to swallow, watching James piece together one of the most incredible individual playoff runs in recent memory.

Up until that unfortunate knee issue resurfacing in March, Irving was well on his way to getting the recognition he deserved. Averaging 24.4 points per game, Irving topped the 20-point mark in 45 of his 60 appearances. With a usage rate of 31.0, Irving was managing a career-high load with aplomb, as Boston remained in the Eastern Conference hunt with a record of 55-27, just two games back of the Toronto Raptors for the No. 1 seed.

Despite the stellar output from Kyrie, the Celtics managing to make a run in the playoffs without him raised some question marks around his future in Boston, particularly with the emergence of Terry Rozier during the charge.

Now, for the first time in his career, Irving unquestionably leads a team with far more talent than LeBron. The Lakers may well be positioning themselves to attack the free agency market in the years to come, but as it stands, it’s hard to view them as a genuine threat in the loaded Western Conference.

On the other side of the fence, health permitting, Irving and the Celtics are widely held as the favorites to compete for the Eastern Conference title, and on paper loom as one of the rare threats to the Golden State Warriors’ throne.

The opportunity for Irving to cement his status as a true No. 1 option on a contender will once again present itself. Irving is no stranger to pressure cooker situations, having played a major role in the Cavaliers erasing a 3-1 deficit to win the 2016 NBA Finals.

In the final three victories of that series, Irving averaged 30 points per game, hitting 52.9 percent of his 3-point tries. Of course, the defining moment of the series was a shot etched in NBA Finals lore, an ice cold triple in Game 7 to give the Cavs a three-point lead with 53.1 seconds left on the clock. Despite the monumental performance during that comeback, James stole the headlines postgame, finally delivering on the dream of bringing an NBA championship to Cleveland.

Perhaps it was indeed the frustration of living in James’ shadow that pushed Irving out of Cleveland. Perhaps he does long for the opportunity to lead his own squad to a title. We will likely never know the absolute truth behind what went down in Cleveland, but rest assured, this season will provide Kyrie with his best opportunity to build on his own legacy and become “the man” on a championship team.

With only one year left on his deal in Boston, and rumors circulating of potential interest in New York, this season presents a golden opportunity for Irving. We’ll just have to wait with anticipation to see if he can capitalize.