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Cleveland Cavaliers: Ranking their last 6 NBA Draft Lottery picks

By Tony Pesta

INDEPENDENCE, OH - JUNE 24: Kyrie Irving #15 and Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers poses for a portrait at Cleveland Clinic Courts on June 24, 2011 in Independence Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NBAE/Getty Images)
INDEPENDENCE, OH - JUNE 24: Kyrie Irving #15 and Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers poses for a portrait at Cleveland Clinic Courts on June 24, 2011 in Independence Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NBAE/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. Kyrie Irving

2011 NBA Draft (No. 1 overall)

Without a doubt, Kyrie Irving is the best lottery pick the Cleveland Cavaliers have made since LeBron James. Irving has been phenomenal from the moment he stepped foot in an NBA arena and is arguably the second-best player in franchise history.

As a rookie, Irving wasted no time showing flashes of greatness. He put up 18.5 points and 5.4 assists a game en route to winning the Rookie of the Year Award. By his next season, he had made the jump to NBA All-Star and was a borderline Finals MVP only three years after that.

The contributions that Irving made to the 2016 championship team cannot go unmentioned. His 41-point performance in Game 5 while facing elimination will go down as one of the all-time greatest moments in Finals history. Furthermore, his go-ahead 3-pointer over Stephen Curry in Game 7 is arguably the greatest clutch shot the league has ever seen.

Irving is one player that can flip the switch and elevate his game when the stakes are at their highest. For his playoff career with the Cavaliers, Irving averaged 23.9 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting from the field. He had three games of 40-plus points in the playoffs, two of which came in the Finals.

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It is unfortunate that his career with the Cavaliers came to such an abrupt ending. While his departure from the team will always leave a bitter taste in the mouth of every fan, there is no questioning the impact he had on the city and the franchise.

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