Boston Celtics: 3 goals for Kyrie Irving in 2018-19

2. Drive and dish

Without question, Irving has some of the sickest handles in the league. He is must-watch viewing on a nightly basis, as we sit in anticipation to see which opposing defender he will put in a spin cycle next.

In addition to his deadly handle, he has become one of the league’s more prolific scoring guards. One area of his game that he hasn’t ever really nailed down in an elite fashion is his ability to tally dimes. Averaging just 5.1 assists per contest last season, Irving ranked 31st league wide for assist percentage (28.8) among players who appeared in more than 50 games, per NBA.com.

With a plethora of offensive weapons around him this season, Irving looks poised to post career high assist numbers, and in addition he should be looking to strictly abide to the rule the Houston Rockets have lived by. Threes and lay-ups.

According the NBA.com, he was clearly at his most deadly from within five feet, where he dropped 59.9 percent of his 310 attempts. Additionally, he was a true threat from 3-point territory, hitting 40.8 percent from downtown on a career-high volume of 6.8 jacks per contest.

In between those two zones, he launched 371 shots, or 6.1 per game. His percentage dipped to 49.1 percent on those mid-range shots, which, while not terrible, remains an inefficient option in the modern game. With Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and more surrounding him, Kyrie will find himself in a position to take his already dominant offensive game to another level.

Drive and dish, 3s and layups. If those key focal points are honed in on, the upcoming No. 1 goal may become a reality.