"Then & Now & Later" is a scouting profile series that analyzes the perception, development and potential of young players in the NBA. Previous editions tackled Anthony Davis and Ricky Rubio. Up now: Kyrie Irving.
Then
Kyrie Irving was the rebound for a spurned sports town.
As impossible as it might have been, it was on the then-19-year-old to bring the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the grieving process after LeBron James left for Miami.
To his credit, Irving played that role well. He demanded attention right from the start, his brilliance with the ball forcing you to live in the moment, not the past. Though the sample size was only 11 games at Duke, he played almost exactly as most predicted -- an average athlete with an unreal handle and smoothness around the rim. Though James' shadow still lingered, Irving was a budding superstar Cleveland could really grow with.
But that process was quickly accelerated. General manager Chris Grant, perhaps mandated to live up to owner Dan Gilbert's guarantee to beat James to a title, made multiple win-now moves and routinely tried to outsmart the draft process.
In large part because of that, the perception of Irving became complicated when the "next level" to his game never came. Some of the shine wore off as time went on and the losses continued to pile up, and it didn't help matters that Irving rarely looked engaged defensively or that his key percentages (true shooting, effective field goal, rebound and assist) all declined after his marvelous 2011-12 rookie of the year campaign.
But despite the hit in production and reputation, Irving provided post-James Cleveland with what fans needed: a pleasant distraction and, more important, a recruiting chip. Maybe James would have come home regardless, but Irving’s potential probably made that decision a little easier.
Now
Up to this point, Irving has spent most of his professional career on an island. His best moments have come almost completely independent of his teammates, whether during All-Star Weekend or in isolation at the top of the key in the regular season.
Irving’s greatest strength is his ability to create for himself off the dribble, a skill he has been able to hone thanks to the ineptitude of his teammates and the stale offensive systems he has been in. Irving makes opposing big men in the pick-and-roll look like dancing puppets -- a quick in-and-out dribble makes limbs go limp, a crossover sends them flying comically in the wrong direction.
There have been negative side effects to the overreliance on those abilities, though, as Irving has developed into a sometimes reluctant distributor, content with taking the first shot that is available to him. Irving’s usage percentage was practically identical to Stephen Curry’s last season, but Curry’s 39.9 assist percentage was drastically higher than Irving's 31.6.
A lot of that has to do with the quality of teammates around Irving and the general lack of trust. Irving and Dion Waiters would reluctantly take turns trying to go 1-on-5 while the other stood around and watched -- the type of offense usually reserved for bad pickup basketball.
And if Irving wasn’t hitting, the Cavs were pretty much toast. He shot 47.9 percent from the field in the 28 wins he was a part of last season, but just 40.1 percent in 43 losses. His isolation scoring could give Cleveland a puncher’s chance, but his negative impact defensively and the lack of two-way talent around him made every game an uphill battle if he wasn't on fire from the field.
Could Irving have done more the past three years to help the bottom line? Absolutely. His defensive real plus/minus rating was 71st out of 82 eligible point guards last season, and at least some of the blame for his team’s lack of chemistry has to fall on him.
But it’s not that Irving is incapable of playing a complete game. Some of the league’s poorest defenders just don’t have the foot speed or the intelligence to be useful on that end, but that isn't the case here. There’s just very little consistency in terms of his effort and technique, as he’ll often lazily walk into perimeter closeouts or provide faux help and actually guard no one.
Some of that is understandable. Buzzing around the court defensively is much less appealing during meaningless games, which make up the majority of Irving's career as a pro thus far.
Scoring has taken clear priority, as it often tends to for a bad team’s most gifted player, and that has created some clear accountability issues. Your best player can be a below-average defender, but not an unwilling one. Irving and Cleveland were caught in a vicious cycle that we see swallow up some of the league’s most talented young players time and time again.
Later
Wipe the slate clean. Locker-room tiffs, shabby defense, bad body language, empty stats. Forget it all.
Irving, just 22 years old, has received a fresh start. He has a new max contract, a new coach in David Blatt, a new pick-and-pop big man in Kevin Love, and the reigning Best Basketball Player on the Planet next to him in James.
The big question is how Irving will adapt to all of it. You would hope he knows better than Ricky Davis, who once famously said: "I thought LeBron James was just going to be another addition to help me score." The ball is going to be in Irving’s hands a lot less, whether he’s ready for that or not.
Some established habits may die hard, but if his ramped-up defensive efforts this summer with Team USA during the FIBA Basketball World Cup are any indicator, Irving is mentally prepared to redefine his game. His role will be more complicated and will fluctuate on a game-to-game basis, but James has a habit of making basketball much easier for everyone on his side.
Where we might see the biggest difference in Irving’s production is away from the ball. He shot just 35.3 percent on 3.3 spot-up attempts per game last season, according to NBA.com. But with defenders unable to stay glued to him because of the presence of James and Love, those numbers should improve. Gone are the days of hoping Alonzo Gee will find him open on a drive-and-kick; defenders will have to actually pick their poison now instead of staying glued to Irving.
It’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of Irving’s play, but no point guard in the league is in a better position. After a temporary delay, Irving is right back on track to have the type of career befitting his immense talent.
D.J. Foster is a contributor to ESPN.com and the TrueHoop Network. Follow him @fosterdj. All stats via NBA.com, Basketball-Reference.com or ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.