Kyrie Irving Named NBA Rookie Of The Month With Stellar Performance In January

It should come as no surprise to Cleveland Cavaliers' fans that Kyrie Irving was named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for January. Irving earned the honor for the first month of the NBA season by leading all his rookie classmates with 18.1 points per game.

Irving, the first overall pick from the 2011 NBA Draft class, averaged 4.9 assists per game and had a stellar field goal percentage of .511. In addition to leading his fellow first-year players, Irving is the fourth-ranked point guard in the entire NBA with a PER of 22.68. That trails only Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Russel Westbrook.

Highlights of Irving's first month as a pro include:

Jan. 12 @ Phoenix: Registered 26 points, three rebounds, six assists and two steals in a 101-90 win over the Suns.
Jan. 16 @ Charlotte: Tallied 25 points, four rebounds and a season-high seven assists in a 102-94 victory over the Bobcats.
Jan. 27 vs. New Jersey: Scored a season-high 32 points, in addition to six rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 99-96 loss to the Nets.
Jan. 29 @ Boston: Posted 23 points, four rebounds and six assists in an 88-87 victory over the Celtics.

Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves won the Rookie of the Month award for the Western Conference.