Steve_424
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I know that there's still plenty of season left, that we don't know what pick the Cavaliers will have, and that a lot can happen from now until the draft (including a lockout), but I figured we'd take a break from TPE trade discussions and the horrendous current state of the team and look toward the future with a closer look at a guy who may very well be the Cavaliers' next franchise player.
Age: 18
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 180
College: Duke
Position: Point Guard
NBA Comparisons
Chris Paul, Tony Parker
Background
Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia while his father, Drederick Irving, played professional basketball for the Bulleen Boomers; young Irving lived in Australia until he was a year and a half then moved to the United States. He has dual citizenship in the United States and Australia, however, he chose to play basketball in/for the United States rather than Australia. Irving has four tattoos, two on his chest, including one in memory of his mother, Elizabeth, who died when he was four, and one on each of his wrists.
Scouting Reports
NBADraft.net:
Strengths: An excellent athlete in a solid 6'2 point guard body, Irving has complete command and control of the basketball in terms of handle and running a team ... He's super quick, and makes it almost impossible for his defender to stay in front of him on a one on one basis ... Will cause havoc with his ability to get into the lane and open things up ... He has a remarkable ability to change direction on the dime, making him virtually unguardable and deadly in the open court ... Has shown the ability to finish with both hands around the basket ... His outside game is above average for a guard entering his freshman year - since he has the ball in his hands most of the time, most of his shots are pull ups off the dribble, which he has shown to be an effective weapon for him, displaying sound fundamentals with his feet setup and a smooth release ... has 3 point range ... He has solid point guard vision, and excels in the fast break whether it's finishing himself or throwing a timely setup pass to a teammate ... His pick and roll potential could be a big weapon moving forward, as he can make the initial pass or use his impressive change of speed ability coming off a screen to get to the rim ... Shows body control when going up in traffic with an ability to elude taller defenders in the air ... Defensively he plays aggressive on ball defense, showing quick footwork and the ability to stay in front of his man with a high motor and high intensity ... Very composed, mature young man both on and off the floor ...
Weaknesses: Irving tends to get too caught up with his ability to handle the ball, at times causing over dribbling and poor offensive team possessions ... Since he's so quick and elusive off the dribble, he finds himself getting an open look on almost every possession, not necessarily a good thing from your point guard ... At 6'2 his size works at the college level, but won't give him much of an edge seeing over the defense at the professional level ... His shot release point is also somewhat low... Shot selection and overall poise and control need improvement, however under Coach K that is unlikely to be an issue ...
Overall: He will come in with established scorers around him, which will really help him in terms of growing as a playmaker and quarterback ... His quickness and talent combine to make him a pleasure to watch, as he should blossom into a premier guard in the country within his first year ... He's almost a guaranteed one and done candidate, and I don't see him slipping out of the top 5.
ESPN
Irving will be the best point guard prospect heading to Duke since Jason Williams laced them up for the Blue Devils. He has great size for the 1 and all the intangibles you could ask for regarding that position. His handle is high-level and he had a number of dribbling exhibitions in the open court that were simply remarkable. His ball control, tight handle, and precision passing alone will make the Cameron Crazies lose their mind. He can explode to the rim with the best of them and he can knock down the 3-point jump shot with regularity. He manages the game very well and knows how to get his teammates involved.
Irving has prompted comparisons to Stephen Curry with his ability to knock down contested shots given the smallest opening. He has a very efficient stroke with no wasted motion, runs to his sweet spots in transition, and is capable of pulling up off the dribble at virtually anytime. He also showed off his underrated explosiveness, finishing a number of plays acrobatically above the rim and consistently creating with his dribble. He was equally comfortable driving right or left, had a quick first step, and sought out contact while cradling the ball in order to get himself to the free-throw line. He also passed the ball tremendously well, showing excellent court vision and good versatility in terms of the various types of passes he is capable of throwing.
There is no question that Irving is an elite point guard with his advanced skill, confidence and high basketball I.Q. He runs a team with poise, excellent peripheral vision and an ability to score at anytime from anywhere on the floor. His range was out to 22 feet on a consistent basis as his shot selection from behind the arc was good. The all-important middle game is superb as he pulls up on a dime and scores with ease before the help defender gets close. Equally impressive on his drive to the basket he knows how to and when to change speeds and score at the rim with good body control. He exhibits a beautiful retreat, cross-over-attack dribble to create space when he sees the double team running at him or when his defender is really applying strong ball pressure. On his penetration he demonstrates the adept ability to read defenses, see the assist and deliver the correct pass on time and on target. In the transition game when Irving receives the outlet pass he has his eyes and head up as he looks to throw ahead or push the ball with the speed dribble. When playing off the ball and being over played he sets his man up and back cuts to rim. Knowing the importance of getting open he runs off of screens and works to free himself for a score. He needs to get stronger but he's a good basketball athlete. Irving is so dangerous as he can create for himself, create for his teammates and still be a student of the game.
Intangibles (via DraftExpress.com)
Irving not only has the skill-set teams look for in a franchise point guard, but he also has the attitude and intangibles. He plays with great maturity and an amazingly confident demeanor on the court, an almost cocky swagger that makes it impossible for even the most casual observer not to realize who the best player on the court is. At some point in his career this might rub some people the wrong way, but considering the way he's actually performing, no one on this Duke squad can dispute his alpha-dog status.Luckily for the team that drafts him, according to all reports Irving is a serious, highly competitive and extremely intelligent player both on and off the court, with a terrific work ethic and a winning mentality. He not only talks the talk, but he walks the walk, making him exactly the type of prospect a NBA team would want to invest a high draft pick on.
My Take
I believe Irving has a chance to be an NBA superstar. His skills resemble Chris Paul's and his personality and intangibles resemble Kevin Durant's. He's young, but mature, has a good family support system, and seems to care more about on-court issues than being a business mogul. Star point guards have taken over the NBA, and a quick look at the (current) top ten teams in the NBA
Spurs - Parker
Celtics - Rondo
Heat - James
Lakers - Fisher/Blake
Bulls - Rose
Thunder - Westbrook
Utah - Williams
Dallas - Kidd
Hornets - Paul
Orlando - Nelson/Arenas
Of those ten players, I would consider six superstars (Rondo/James/Rose/Westbrook/Williams/Paul), two stars (Parker/Kidd), one very good (Nelson/Arenas combo), and one not so good (Lakers PGs). Obviously, the right pieces still need to be around these players to win big, but we all witnessed in the 2010 Boston series how much a dominant PG can affect a matchup,
Irving, to me, is a complete player who seems to have a maturity and work ethic that makes him sort of an "anti-LeBron", which would be fitting if he is the new "guy" in Cleveland starting this fall. Since we can't get Chris Paul, I wouldn't mind grabbing the guy many refer to as the next Chris Paul.
Age: 18
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 180
College: Duke
Position: Point Guard
NBA Comparisons
Chris Paul, Tony Parker
Background
Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia while his father, Drederick Irving, played professional basketball for the Bulleen Boomers; young Irving lived in Australia until he was a year and a half then moved to the United States. He has dual citizenship in the United States and Australia, however, he chose to play basketball in/for the United States rather than Australia. Irving has four tattoos, two on his chest, including one in memory of his mother, Elizabeth, who died when he was four, and one on each of his wrists.
Scouting Reports
NBADraft.net:
Strengths: An excellent athlete in a solid 6'2 point guard body, Irving has complete command and control of the basketball in terms of handle and running a team ... He's super quick, and makes it almost impossible for his defender to stay in front of him on a one on one basis ... Will cause havoc with his ability to get into the lane and open things up ... He has a remarkable ability to change direction on the dime, making him virtually unguardable and deadly in the open court ... Has shown the ability to finish with both hands around the basket ... His outside game is above average for a guard entering his freshman year - since he has the ball in his hands most of the time, most of his shots are pull ups off the dribble, which he has shown to be an effective weapon for him, displaying sound fundamentals with his feet setup and a smooth release ... has 3 point range ... He has solid point guard vision, and excels in the fast break whether it's finishing himself or throwing a timely setup pass to a teammate ... His pick and roll potential could be a big weapon moving forward, as he can make the initial pass or use his impressive change of speed ability coming off a screen to get to the rim ... Shows body control when going up in traffic with an ability to elude taller defenders in the air ... Defensively he plays aggressive on ball defense, showing quick footwork and the ability to stay in front of his man with a high motor and high intensity ... Very composed, mature young man both on and off the floor ...
Weaknesses: Irving tends to get too caught up with his ability to handle the ball, at times causing over dribbling and poor offensive team possessions ... Since he's so quick and elusive off the dribble, he finds himself getting an open look on almost every possession, not necessarily a good thing from your point guard ... At 6'2 his size works at the college level, but won't give him much of an edge seeing over the defense at the professional level ... His shot release point is also somewhat low... Shot selection and overall poise and control need improvement, however under Coach K that is unlikely to be an issue ...
Overall: He will come in with established scorers around him, which will really help him in terms of growing as a playmaker and quarterback ... His quickness and talent combine to make him a pleasure to watch, as he should blossom into a premier guard in the country within his first year ... He's almost a guaranteed one and done candidate, and I don't see him slipping out of the top 5.
ESPN
Irving will be the best point guard prospect heading to Duke since Jason Williams laced them up for the Blue Devils. He has great size for the 1 and all the intangibles you could ask for regarding that position. His handle is high-level and he had a number of dribbling exhibitions in the open court that were simply remarkable. His ball control, tight handle, and precision passing alone will make the Cameron Crazies lose their mind. He can explode to the rim with the best of them and he can knock down the 3-point jump shot with regularity. He manages the game very well and knows how to get his teammates involved.
Irving has prompted comparisons to Stephen Curry with his ability to knock down contested shots given the smallest opening. He has a very efficient stroke with no wasted motion, runs to his sweet spots in transition, and is capable of pulling up off the dribble at virtually anytime. He also showed off his underrated explosiveness, finishing a number of plays acrobatically above the rim and consistently creating with his dribble. He was equally comfortable driving right or left, had a quick first step, and sought out contact while cradling the ball in order to get himself to the free-throw line. He also passed the ball tremendously well, showing excellent court vision and good versatility in terms of the various types of passes he is capable of throwing.
There is no question that Irving is an elite point guard with his advanced skill, confidence and high basketball I.Q. He runs a team with poise, excellent peripheral vision and an ability to score at anytime from anywhere on the floor. His range was out to 22 feet on a consistent basis as his shot selection from behind the arc was good. The all-important middle game is superb as he pulls up on a dime and scores with ease before the help defender gets close. Equally impressive on his drive to the basket he knows how to and when to change speeds and score at the rim with good body control. He exhibits a beautiful retreat, cross-over-attack dribble to create space when he sees the double team running at him or when his defender is really applying strong ball pressure. On his penetration he demonstrates the adept ability to read defenses, see the assist and deliver the correct pass on time and on target. In the transition game when Irving receives the outlet pass he has his eyes and head up as he looks to throw ahead or push the ball with the speed dribble. When playing off the ball and being over played he sets his man up and back cuts to rim. Knowing the importance of getting open he runs off of screens and works to free himself for a score. He needs to get stronger but he's a good basketball athlete. Irving is so dangerous as he can create for himself, create for his teammates and still be a student of the game.
Intangibles (via DraftExpress.com)
Irving not only has the skill-set teams look for in a franchise point guard, but he also has the attitude and intangibles. He plays with great maturity and an amazingly confident demeanor on the court, an almost cocky swagger that makes it impossible for even the most casual observer not to realize who the best player on the court is. At some point in his career this might rub some people the wrong way, but considering the way he's actually performing, no one on this Duke squad can dispute his alpha-dog status.Luckily for the team that drafts him, according to all reports Irving is a serious, highly competitive and extremely intelligent player both on and off the court, with a terrific work ethic and a winning mentality. He not only talks the talk, but he walks the walk, making him exactly the type of prospect a NBA team would want to invest a high draft pick on.
My Take
I believe Irving has a chance to be an NBA superstar. His skills resemble Chris Paul's and his personality and intangibles resemble Kevin Durant's. He's young, but mature, has a good family support system, and seems to care more about on-court issues than being a business mogul. Star point guards have taken over the NBA, and a quick look at the (current) top ten teams in the NBA
Spurs - Parker
Celtics - Rondo
Heat - James
Lakers - Fisher/Blake
Bulls - Rose
Thunder - Westbrook
Utah - Williams
Dallas - Kidd
Hornets - Paul
Orlando - Nelson/Arenas
Of those ten players, I would consider six superstars (Rondo/James/Rose/Westbrook/Williams/Paul), two stars (Parker/Kidd), one very good (Nelson/Arenas combo), and one not so good (Lakers PGs). Obviously, the right pieces still need to be around these players to win big, but we all witnessed in the 2010 Boston series how much a dominant PG can affect a matchup,
Irving, to me, is a complete player who seems to have a maturity and work ethic that makes him sort of an "anti-LeBron", which would be fitting if he is the new "guy" in Cleveland starting this fall. Since we can't get Chris Paul, I wouldn't mind grabbing the guy many refer to as the next Chris Paul.
