Kyrie Irving Season Props: Brooklyn’s New All-Star Listed at 24 PPG & 5.5 APG
By Robert Duff in NBA Basketball
Updated: April 7, 2020 at 12:04 pm EDTPublished:
- Sportsbooks have posted two prop wagers on Kyrie Irving’s debut season with the New Jersey Nets
- His points per game total is set at 24 and his assists per game at 5.5
- Last season, Irving averaged 23.8 PPG and 6.9 APG
Kyrie Irving’s start to his career with the Brooklyn Nets started out with a smack in the face.
Irving re-aggravated a facial fracture in the first minute of the Nets’ inaugural NBA preseason game in China against the Los Angeles Lakers. Just 66 seconds into the game, he was elbowed in the face while guarding Lakers guard Rajon Rondo.
Irving is expected to play Friday as the Nets close out the preseason against the reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors, which will offer the first real chance to gauge how Irving is going to fit with his new club.
It also presents the first opportunity to assess which way to wager in regards to sportsbooks’ player props relating to Irving’s 2019-20 campaign.
One sportsbook is offering over/under prop wagers on Irving’s points per game, setting the total 24 PPG. It is also presenting a prop on Irving’s assists per game, setting that total bar at 5.5 APG.
O/U Kyrie Irving Points Per Game in 2019-20 Season
| Total | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 24 PPG | -120 |
| Under 24 PPG | -120 |
*All odds herein taken on 10/17/19
Irving has gone over 24 PPG twice in the last three seasons, although last season wasn’t one of them. He averaged 23.8 PPG as the only star on a workmanlike Boston Celtics team that clearly underachieved.
1 minute into the game, Kyrie Irving leaves the game after getting hit in the face by Rondo.
(Via @gifdsports) pic.twitter.com/LLjRdAXY3n
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 10, 2019
In Boston, the Celtics really had no other consistently dangerous scoring threat to team with Irving. In 2016-17, when he netted a career-high 25.2 PPG with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving was sharing the floor with LeBron James.
Irving won’t have that kind of support in Brooklyn. Well, not until the 2020-21 season he won’t. That’s when former NBA MVP Kevin Durant, the Nets’ other offseason free-agent prize, is expected to be back from his torn Achilles tendon.
.@KyrieIrving gets 🆙 pic.twitter.com/uNaJHw7Eom
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 9, 2019
That being said, the pick-and-roll style preferred by the Nets should suit Irving’s game to perfection. The same offense helped turned Spencer Dinwiddie from a guy who couldn’t crack a rotation elsewhere into an Sixth Man of the Year contender.
Dinwiddie averaged 16.7 PPG last season. If he can do that, Irving can go over 24 PPG .
Pick: Over 24 PPG (-120)
O/U Kyrie Irving Assists Per Game in 2019-20 Season
| Total | Odds |
|---|---|
| Over 5.5 APG | -120 |
| Under 5.5 APG | -120 |
Irving has craved a scenario where he would be the go-to guy for a team. It was never going to happen in Cleveland, where LeBron was king. It didn’t work in Boston, where the six-time All-Star never seemed to be a good fit and ultimately, simply didn’t like the city, or some of his teammates for that matter.
The Nets look to be a place when he could shine. It’s a team that made significant strides last season and, in an Eastern Conference where the landscape at the top has changed significantly, they could make a big move again.
Irving gets the opportunity to be the guy to take them to the top of the mountain. As noted earlier, Brooklyn’s offense meshes well with his strengths.
He’s gone over 5.5 APG twice in the past three seasons and four times over seven seasons. That includes an impressive 6.9 APG last season which placed him on the cusp of the top 10 in the NBA.
Masked Kyrie showing off that EXTRA jelly 🍇 @KyrieIrving (via @BrooklynNets) pic.twitter.com/u3Ai125pJD
— Overtime (@overtime) October 9, 2019
Irving probably won’t dish out that many dimes this year but he’ll certainly go over 5.5 per game.
Pick: Over 5.5 APG (-120)
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
