18. 2011: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
In today’s NBA, where players seldom choose to remain with one team for an extended period of time, Kyrie Irving stands out as one of the few number one overall picks that won a championship with the team that drafted him. In fact, it was Irving that hit the clinching shot that helped bring the Cleveland Cavaliers championship glory.
Of course, Irving likely doesn’t get that chance without the efforts of LeBron James — both in that game and in general — especially when you consider how bad the Irving-led Cavs were before James returned in 2014.
By virtue of being god-awful in 2010-11, the Cavaliers received the number one overall pick in the 2011 draft, which they used to select Irving. When healthy, he provided an abundance of ankle-breaking crossovers and acrobatic finishes at the basket. He also showed his proficiency from 3-point range, as he shot over 39 percent from deep in his first two seasons and eclipsed the 40 percent plateau in 2014-15 and 2016-17.
Despite averaging 21.6 points per game in six seasons with the Cavs, Irving grew tired of living in James’ shed, as he engineered a trade to the Boston Celtics prior to the 2017-18 season. He ostensibly proved that he could be “The Guy” on a winning team, as his 24.4 points per game helped Boston to a 55-27 record. However, he missed the 2018 playoffs due to knee surgery and watched as Boston’s young core reached the Eastern Conference Finals without him.
There are still credible questions as to how good Irving makes the Celtics. But there’s no questioning his talent, which is as ridiculous as his belief that the Earth is flat.