The healthy exchange of words between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving following Tuesday's 19-point blowout loss to the Portland Trailblazers reportedly had to do with the point guard's playmaking.
James challenged Irving to do a better job, according to Chris Haynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Haynes, citing a source, said James was concerned with the way Irving has been getting teammates involved on the offensive end, and the talk came following a 3-for-17 shooting night from the Cavaliers' point guard.
But it appears Irving may not have gotten the message. Irving followed up the conversation by jacking up a game-high 23 shots in a 102-100 loss to the Utah Jazz. He scored 34 points and turned the ball over once, but didn't record an assist in 45 minutes of action. It marked the first time since November 2012 he was held without an assist.
The Cavaliers are struggling as a whole in that regard, averaging an NBA-low 16 assists per game.
James is averaging 23.8 points on 41.3 percent shooting through four games.
