The primary duty of a point guard is to get his team involved. Although the recent rise in athletic point guards such as Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook has resulted in those type of players now scoring first, they still find time to get their team involved.
Where Westbrook is getting 10.4 assists a game this season, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving had a game high 33 points Wednesday night [March 16] against the Mavericks, with only one assist to his name, allegedly leaving teammates frustrated.
Via Cleveland.com:
A game-high 33 points on 12-of-28 shooting along with a late game-saving steal allowed the Cavs to squeak by the Mavericks in a 99-98 victory at The Q. But it was his unwillingness to get others involved that left onlookers and his teammates scratching their heads.
After the game, a few players were puzzled to how their point guard managed to register just one measly assist while playing 39 minutes. They were frustrated, but the win and Irving’s huge defensive play lessened the anger.
The notion within the locker room is that the situation is tolerable, because it isn’t permanent. If the Cavaliers were dealt the misfortune of playing without James for an extended period of time, this locker room would be boiling over.
Players are growing tired of Irving’s inability to not only register a proper amount of assists at the lead guard position, but also to just move the ball.
