"
The Cavs have been terrible whenever Irving plays without LeBron. Irving's scoring in those minutes has soared anyway, in part because he never stops shooting. Over the past two seasons, Irving has jacked about 26 shots for every 36 minutes he plays without James, per NBA.com. Only
six players have ever topped 25 field-goal attempts per 36 minutes in any season, and only one of them --
Wilt Chamberlain -- did it twice. Even Kobe Bryant never pulled it!
Meanwhile, Irving's assist numbers in those minutes barely ticked up.
That sample obviously captures Extreme Kyrie. But if that is the sort of player he hungers to be, he will never win big. Nobody wants to play with that guy, especially when that guy gives you very little on defense."