Kyrie won't replicate IT's season. Three players in the history of the NBA have averaged 28+ points, 5+ assists, .620+ TS% and .540+ eFG%. IT, Curry, Durant. That's it.
So, we're in all probability looking at a step backward there.
Whether we're an overall better playoff team will depend a lot on whether Jaylen and Smart have progressed.
Roy - how do ITs stats for last year's team matter for a team that has completely turned over it's roster?
The stats are reflective of IT's level of play. IT had one of the all-time great offensive seasons in NBA history. It sounds like hyperbole, until you look at the numbers. Volume scoring with that efficiency is almost unheard of.
When considering whether there will be a step back, you have to consider how great IT was.
Yeah he was great, on a team without Gordon Hayward who will obviously command a major share of offense now.
We have to accept that IT's top-5 MVP performance last year was both great but also completely necessary and a function of the roster. This roster is different and that type of player is no longer needed.
TP for that statement. A lot of people who are critical of the trade are not taking this into account.
I'm not taking it into account because it doesn't make a lot of sense.
Dozens of guys have scored 28+ points per game. Hundreds have averaged 5 apg. Three players in history have done both while maintaining the efficiency of IT, and the other two are both MVPs.
IMO IT had a great year on a decent team. To have a very good or great team IT can't have those kind of numbers it wont work. He commanded the ball and took a lot of shots, lots of times it was him vs. the other team. You can't be a great team with that even if it was Michael Jordan.
Sure. You need to add talent to make the team better. In terms of shots, you realize that IT took less than Kyrie, right?
However, you obviously can put up those numbers while being on a great team. Steph Curry and Durant do. But, reduce the points per game, if you think IT's numbers are based upon more chances (which is silly unless you're saying the same thing about Kyrie). IT averaged 28.9 ppg. Do you know how many players in NBA history have averaged even 23 points, 5 assists, and IT's efficiency levels?
Five: Steph, Durant, Wilt, Lebron and IT.
Our level of PG play will go down next season, unless Kyrie has a historically great season.
Roy, I feel that you have made this point. A couple times. I'm not sure anyone disagrees. IT was straight fire last year. It is highly improbable that he has a similar year. It is also highly improbable that Kyrie has a year like IT did in 2016-17.
I think Danny made the trade to consider the future, not the past.
Who do you believe will score more points next year (in aggregate, not on average): IT w/ a hip injury or Kyrie (who also seems to gets nicked up during the reg. season)?
I think that Kyrie will score more points than IT next year.
It seems like people do disagree, or are suggesting that somehow having the ball a lot (but taking fewer shots than Kyrie) played a role in his historically efficient season.
Since IT will miss at least a month of the season, something will have to go seriously wrong for him to score more aggregate points than Kyrie. I'm not sure what points totals really tell us, though. Carmelo scored more total points than Durant last year. Does that matter?
IT and Kyrie are primarily scorers (at this point in their careers). They score better than they do anything else. The amount of points scored might be the most relevant stat for these two basketball players.
You are cherry picking here to make a point. Your point presents a unique position: comparing a decent player on a bad team to a great player on a great team. This scoring analysis isn't that relevant to the Celtics and the Cavs, which presumably will both be good teams.
In general, scoring matters. It's a league based on offensive production. GS won rings while averaging 116 ppg last year, first in the league. Here are the top 20 scorers from last year (total, not ppg):
Westbrook
Harden
IT
AD
KAT
Lillard
Derozan
Curry
Lebron
Cousins
Wiggins
Leonard
CJ McCollum
Greek Freak
Kemba
Jimmy Butler
Irving
Wall
Beal
PG13
All are considered to be above average players. Many are considered to be among the best. The Celtics would take most of these players on their team. I think Durant is the obvious exception (which you brought up) after missing 20 games.
The top 3 players in scoring last year were in the top 5 of MVP voting.
With IT4 hurt and in CLE, the Celtics biggest need is an influx of scoring. Fortunately, Irving will be playing for them next year.
My point is that Kyrie will score more points than IT next year, which will hopefully help them win a couple more games.
Also, projecting that IT will miss a month is conjecture. I don't think anyone really knows how many games he will play. The same can be said about Kyrie, though I think he's more of a sure thing to play more games next year.