What is Kyrie Irving's ceiling?

[Roy H.]

Right now, Kyrie Irving is 7th among PGs in scoring.  In terms of per-minute scoring, he's third in the NBA among PGs, virtually tied with Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose. His averages are:

18.0 points / 3.5 rebounds / 5.1 assists / 49.2% FG% / 41.3% FT% / .533 eFG% / .577 TS%

His rookie season compares favorably to those of Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and John Wall, despite being a year younger:  http://bkref.com/tiny/uP565

So, just how good can this kid be?  He needs to improve his defense a bit, and maybe get a few more assists, but is this kid destined for stardom?  

[indeedproceed]

Brandon Jennings

[Donoghus]

Brandon Jennings

He'll be better than Jennings.  Better scorer. Much better percentage also.

I think he may fall somewhere in Westbrook territory.  Not quite as good as Rose but better than guys like Wall & Jennings.

[Fafnir]

Brandon Jennings

He'll be better than Jennings.  Better scorer. Much better percentage also.

I think he may fall somewhere in Westbrook territory.  Not quite as good as Rose but better than guys like Wall & Jennings.

A lot depends on how much he learns to use his teamates. He doesn't have the athletic advantage over the rest of the league like Westbrook/Rose do.

And honestly I think if you just let Westbrook do everything on offense he'd get similar results to Rose. The reason Westbrook struggles is that he has another star to work with, makes it harder for him. (but gives his team a higher ceiling)

[Roy H.]

Brandon Jennings

He'll be better than Jennings.  Better scorer. Much better percentage also.

Yeah, he's already better than Jennings by a pretty fair margin, I think, and he's 3 years younger.

[Donoghus]

Brandon Jennings

He'll be better than Jennings.  Better scorer. Much better percentage also.

I think he may fall somewhere in Westbrook territory.  Not quite as good as Rose but better than guys like Wall & Jennings.

A lot depends on how much he learns to use his teamates. He doesn't have the athletic advantage over the rest of the league like Westbrook/Rose do.

And honestly I think if you just let Westbrook do everything on offense he'd get similar results to Rose. The reason Westbrook struggles is that he has another star to work with, makes it harder for him. (but gives his team a higher ceiling)

Quite possible. 

[huzy]

I think his ceiling is below that of Paul, Deron, and Rose but above John Wall's.

Wall has been maddeningly undisciplined this season and the situation in Washington has started a regression that he may not recover from.

Playing for Byron Scott will foster Irving's development. In the current hierarchy of PG's I think Irving could potentially even surpasse Deron in a couple of years if Williams doesn't find the right organization.

[Celtic#9]

The only problem is PG's aren't rare. A shooting gaurd averaging that is a sure-fire All Star. Top 3 SG in the league. As a PG, he could be like 5-10.

[Chris]

Irving has been the closest I have seen to Chris Paul, in the style he plays.  He has the complete package, and the skies the limit for him. 

I would not be the least bit surprised if he is the best PG in the league, and a top 5 player, in 3-4 years.

[Rondo2287]

I would say Monta Ellis

[stylo617617]

he has superstar potential in my opinion ,remember only rose & westbrook are still VERY YOUNG

by the time irving develops to the top PG which i think he will cp3,d-will & rondo will probably be on the latter stages & playing on contending teams every year so they'll be doing less
meaning it'll be him,rose & westbrook battling for that top slot  

i mean he's played more games in the NBA than he did in college & he's doing this!

but i cant tell yet if he will hit his potential i'll wait till year 2 or 3 maybe even 4 to see his development

[Chris]

I am really surprised he is being lumped in with the volume shooting PGs.  I know his assist totals are low, but has anyone looked at his supporting cast?  Who does he have to pass to?

I think if you give him a quality pick and roll big man, and a shooter or two around him, and he is already averaging 8-10 assists per game.

[Lucky17]

I think Kyrie's ceiling will be heavily dependent on his durability.

Concussions are kind of a freak occurrence, but this is also young player who couldn't complete even half of his only season of college ball.

Personally, I get a bad vibe from him. I actually think Brandon Knight will have the better career when it's all said and done.

[action781]

I think his ceiling is slightly less than that of Chris Paul.

Kyrie is a player that I feel will be a true floor general in the NBA as a point guard.  A guy who can provide scoring, but moreso, run a good offense and who's game is heavily reliant upon a high basketball IQ rather than flashiness.

I don't think players like Westbrook or Wall are good players to compare Irving to, because Irving has a better jumper and plays more off of that and his b-ball IQ than Westbrook, Wall, Rondo, and Jennings who all use large doses of overwhelming quickness in their game.

I think Kyrie's ceiling lies somewhere between Chris Paul now and Chauncey Billups' prime.

[indeedproceed]

Mike James, but the good years.