National Basketball Association

Cleveland Cavaliers player watch: Kyrie Irving's milestones to look for in 2016-17

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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May 19, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) celebrate during the second quarter in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

With only a few days until the 2016-17 NBA season kicks off, here are the upcoming milestones to look for from Kyrie Irving this year.

Last year was an incredible season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had their ups and downs, from Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert‘s injuries to chemistry issues later on in the regular season and a 3-1 deficit in the Finals.

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Despite the rocky road, the Cavs came out on top. They united and prevailed, giving the franchise its first ever NBA championship and giving Cleveland its first major sports title in 52 years.

While last season was a dream for Clevelanders and Cavs fans everywhere, it ended nearly four months ago. Now we’re ready for more basketball and are counting down the days until the 2016-17 NBA season begins.

Fortunately, there’s only a few days until the new season begins. So while we eagerly await the start, we’re taking a look at all the milestones that various Cavs players can reach this upcoming year. Now it’s Irving’s turn. At the young age of 24 and with five seasons in the NBA, Irving has quite a few upcoming milestones to watch for.

Apr 22, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) brings the ball up court as Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) defends during the first quarter in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

12,000th Minute Played

Kyrie Irving has only been in the NBA for five seasons and has never played a full season, mostly because of injuries. Despite that, he has logged over 10,000 minutes of playing time (specifically 10,499). Over his five seasons, Irving has averaged 61.8 games per year and 34 minutes per game. If he can play those minutes over those 61 games, he can wind up playing 2,101 minutes this year. Adding that to his total would put Irving at 12,600 minutes, way past the milestone for his 12,000th.

Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the the game winning shot during the fourth quarter against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

2,800th Field Goal

Irving can get buckets, so it makes perfect sense that he can reach milestones in field goals, threes and two pointers. Over his time in the NBA, Irving has made 2,338 and averages 7.6 per game. If he makes that 7.6 over his career average of 61 games, he can end up just passing the 2,800th field goal mark with 2,807. That would also get Irving to the ninth spot on the Cavs franchise list for made field goals, passing Jim Chones at tenth (2,456) and Campy Russell at ninth (2,480).

600th Three Pointer

We know Irving is a skilled three point shooter (remember that game winning shot in Game 7 of the NBA finals?) and he can hit a milestone here too. He’s already made 546 threes, so with just 54 more, Irving can hit the 600 mark. If he gets his career average of 1.8 threes per game, Irving will get over 100 and comfortably past the 600 mark over the course 61 games.

In addition, Irving currently ranks 5th in Cavs franchise history for threes. His 600th would put him third on the franchise list, passing Wesley Person at fourth (550) and Daniel Gibson for sole possession of the third spot. ( 578). By the end of his contract, Irving can wind up first on the list, passing Mark Price for second (802) and LeBron James for first (978).

2,000th Two Pointer

But Irving is not just about the three pointer. He has a killer jump shot and is affectionately called the “layup king.” He currently has 1,792 two pointers in the books and averages 5.8 per game. If he gets that over 61 games, he can get more than 350 two pointers. That would put him comfortably past the milestone for his 2,000th two.

Jun 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Larry W. Smith/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

1,400th Free Throw

As the “layup king”, Irving is a master at driving to the basket, which means he gets to the free throw line. So it’s understandable that Irving has an upcoming milestone in free throws. After five seasons, he has made 1,194 and averages 3.9 per game. At that rate over his career average of 61 games, Irving can make 240 free throws this year. Adding that to his current total puts him past the milestone for his 1,400th free throw at 1,434. That would also put Irving ninth overall on the Cavs franchise list for free throws, passing Phil Hubbard for tenth (1,318) and Larry Nance for ninth (1,364).

Mar 10, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) grabs a rebound against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

1,200th Total Rebound

People don’t really think of Irving as a rebounder. While he’s no Tristan Thompson or Kevin Love, it doesn’t mean he can’t reach a few milestones in that department. For starters, Irving can hit a milestone in total rebounds. After five seasons in the NBA, Irving has 1,060 total and averages 3.4 per game. If he grabs that number over his career average of 61 games, Irving can end up with 1,270. That puts him past the milestone for his 1,200th total rebound.

900th Defensive Rebound

Irving can also hit a milestone in defensive rebounds specifically. Irving currently has 831 and grabs an average of 2.7 per game. If he gets that number over 61 games, Irving can grab 166 this season. That would put him at 997, well past the milestone for his 900th defensive rebound and just shy of his 1,000th.

Jan 12, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) passes the ball around Dallas Mavericks center JaVale McGee (11) and guard J.J. Barea (5) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Cavaliers defeat the Mavericks 110-107 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

2,000th Assist

As a point guard, Irving can shoot and dish it out. At this point in his career, Irving has a total of 1,696 assists, which means needs just over 300 to his the 2,000th mark. With his career average of 5.5 per game, over his career average of 61.8 games, Irving can dish out 339 assists this year alone. Adding that to his total puts him at 2,035, just past the 2,000th assist.

Hitting that milestone would also mean that Irving moves up on the Cavs franchise list for assists. He’s already sitting at tenth place but could move two spots to the eight spot held by Mr. Cavalier, passing Craig Ehlo for ninth (1,803) and Austin Carr for eighth overall (1,820).

May 8, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) defends Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) during the second half in game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Cavaliers won 100-99. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

500th Steal

Irving also has an upcoming milestone in steals. After his five NBA seasons, Irving has stolen the ball 421 times. That means with just 79 more, he can hit the 500 mark. Fortunately for Irving, he averages 1.4 steals per game. So at that rate over his career average of 61 games per year, Irving would steal the ball 86 times. That puts him past the milestone for his 500th steal at 507 total. This would also put him ninth overall on the Cavs franchise list of steals, passing Brad Daugherty for tenth ( 422) and John Bagley for ninth (474).

Jun 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (34) in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Larry W. Smith/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

7,000th Point

Lastly, as we all know, Irving is a scoring machine. Whether it’s from a killer jumper, a smooth three beyond the arc or one of his magical layups, he gets buckets. So it’s no surprise that Irving has an upcoming milestone in points.

After five seasons, Irving has accumulated 6,416 points and an average of 20.8 per game. At that rate over his career average of 61 games, Irving can wind up with 1,285 points this year alone. Adding that to his total puts him at 7,701, well past the milestone for his 7,000th point.

In addition, his 6,416 points land him at tenth overall on the Cavs franchise list for points and if he reaches this milestone, he’ll move up to eighth overall in total points. This allows him to pass Campy Russell for ninth (6,588) and Larry Nance for eight overall (7,257) on the Cleveland Cavaliers total points scored list.

Do you think that Kyrie Irving will be able to reach these milestones this year? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.