LeBron James: Kyrie Irving is the NBA MVP when healthy

Kyrie Irving officially appears to be back at full strength after missing the beginning of the season while recovering from a broken knee cap. And a healthy Kyrie Irving gives the Cleveland Cavaliers an MVP-caliber player, according to LeBron James.

Irving scored 25 points in just 29 minutes on 6-of-10 shooting in a win over the Toronto Raptors Monday night. He was even better on Wednesday, scoring 32 points in 34 minutes against the Washington Wizards.

“He’s special,” James said of Irving earlier this week, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “He’s that special, man. He’s much better than an All-Star. Much better than an All-Star. If he continues to play the way he’s been playing but also continues to progress in his game over the years, he can do something that’s very special around this league. I’m not going to put too much pressure on him, but I know in my head what he can become in this league, and tonight he showed it.”

LeBron was clearly hinting that he believes Irving has the potential to become the best player in the NBA. James did more than just hint at it as he continued to gush about the 23-year-old.

“I mean, there would never be a question if Kyrie Irving is the MVP as long as he’s on the floor and he’s healthy,” LeBron added. “There’s not many guys, if any, at the point guard level that’s better than him. So I don’t think it should even be a question.”

While Irving is certainly one of the best point guards in the league, the reigning NBA MVP also happens to be a point guard — and a pretty damn good one. That said, it’s amazing that Irving is just 23 and already in his fifth NBA season. There’s no reason he can’t continue to improve.

LeBron has always had high praise for Irving, and sometimes that praise results in awkward interviews. But if Kyrie keeps playing the way he has over the past two games, it will be hard to argue that any player in the league is more valuable to his team.