Kyrie Irving’s 5 best seasons

Table of Contents

Well, well, well… I have been tasked with the Sisyphean feat of tackling the tumultuous, enigmatic, stupendously entertaining, and perpetually perplexing roller coaster ride that is the career of the man, the myth, the walking conspiracy theory: Kyrie Andrew Irving. Our task today is to encapsulate, distill, and subsequently rank the five best seasons of his career. Buckle up, basketball junkies, we are in for an indulgent dive into the tapestry of Uncle Drew’s hardwood exploits.

Let's set the stage before we delve into this glorious abyss. As of the 2023 season, Kyrie’s had quite the journey. He's graced three teams with his handle wizardry, flaunted his one-on-one panache across two conferences, shattered the hearts of Golden State fans (more on that later), and caused more head-scratching moments than my 14-year-old trying to solve a Rubik's cube. From his silky-smooth finishes at the rim to his head-shaking comments off the court, there's never been a shortage of material with this guy.

1. 2016-17: Cleveland Cavaliers (Season 6)

At numero uno, we have the 2016-17 season - his last dance with the Cavaliers. After a 2015-16 season culminating in one of the most satisfying championship clinchers of all time – the Block, the Shot, and the Stop – Kyrie was now in full bloom. This was the year Irving transitioned from the precocious, mesmerizing sidekick to the cavalier who could match LeBron James's killer instinct with ice running through his veins.

I liken this season to the third act of a perfectly scripted Hollywood movie. Irving averaged 25.2 points, shot 47.3% from the field, and boasted a 58.3% true shooting percentage. It was as if he'd spent the offseason at a Jedi training camp, emerging with a hoop version of the Force. His 5.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game showed his maturity in game management, and his scoring efficiency underlined a sniper’s cold-blooded focus. It’s a season that makes you reminisce about ‘90s basketball, evoking shades of Isiah Thomas and Allen Iverson rolled into one.

2. 2018-19: Boston Celtics (Season 8)

Ranking second, we have Irving’s sophomore season with the Celtics, a year that started with the promise of a "If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here next summer" statement. On-court, it was Irving's statistical best: he averaged 23.8 points and a career-high 6.9 assists, his field-goal percentage was a solid 48.7%, and he shot 40.1% from deep. It was like witnessing Jordan's '88 season from a point guard, minus the lockdown defense and the MVP trophy.

Irving played the role of Boston's scoring maestro and playmaking general with an aplomb that could've earned him a spot in the Boston Philharmonic. His usage rate of 28.6% was his second-highest at that point, and he showed he could balance finding his own shot with setting up his teammates like a Vegas magician juggling flaming swords and bunny rabbits. However, this crescendo ended on a sour note, like a Beethoven symphony abruptly cut off by a fire drill, thanks to the turbulent playoffs.

3. 2022-23: Brooklyn Nets (Season 11)

The bronze medal goes to Irving's most recent season, the 2022-23 campaign. If the '16-17 season was a Hollywood blockbuster, this was an arthouse classic with Irving as the misunderstood protagonist. In this recent season, Irving averaged 24.7 points with a career-high 50.6% shooting from the field, 41.3% from beyond the arc, and 92.1% from the charity stripe. If that's not part of the elite 50-40-90 club, I don't know what is.

The man was scoring with the kind of ruthless efficiency that reminded me of watching Larry Bird tapes, only if Bird had been bitten by a radioactive spider. His assists dipped to 5.4 per game, but with Durant and Harden shouldering some playmaking duties, Uncle Drew was free to channel his inner Picasso on the offensive end, transforming Barclays Center into his own personal Sistine Chapel night after night.

4. 2015-16: Cleveland Cavaliers (Season 5)

Next up, we have the 2015-16 season, a season that proved to be more redeeming for Irving than a Scorsese film. Injuries had curtailed his previous campaign, and he was hungry to prove that he could bounce back stronger than RoboCop.

Irving averaged 19.6 points, 4.7 assists, and shot 44.8% from the field. His stats might not blow you away like a gusty Boston afternoon, but this season included the most clutch moment of his career, if not NBA history. Yes, I'm talking about the Shot over Steph Curry in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. This was the basketball equivalent of the moon landing, an event forever etched into our collective memory. It was like watching Robert Horry, but if Big Shot Rob had handle like the Professor from AND1.

5. 2019-20: Brooklyn Nets (Season 9)

Lastly, we have Irving's debut season with the Nets, a season with more narrative twists than a Tarantino flick. Irving exploded out of the gates like a greyhound chasing a mechanical rabbit, dropping 50 points in his debut. Averages of 27.4 points and 6.4 assists per game on 47.8% shooting from the field showcased a prime Kyrie that was more dialed in than a sniper in a bell tower.

However, injury and team politics marred what could’ve been an annus mirabilis for Irving. In only 20 games, we witnessed a tantalizing glimpse of what could be, like the tantalizing glimpse of an oasis to a wanderer in the desert. It was a performance that, despite its brevity, was as mesmerizing as a Hendrix guitar solo.

Kyrie Irving is an enigma wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in a pair of the flashiest sneakers you've ever seen. He's as capable of making you cheer as he is of making you groan. He's basketball's answer to a popcorn flick – you can't help but watch, captivated by every jaw-dropping moment, every behind-the-back dribble, every gravity-defying layup. You may not always understand him, but by God, you'll always be entertained. Here's to the continuation of this wild ride on the Kyrie express. All aboard!