Kyrie Irving. NBA Champion. 5x NBA All-Star. 2014 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. 2015 All-NBA Third Team. Rookie of the Year 2012. FIBA World Cup MVP 2014. 2x USA Basketball Gold Medalist (2016 Rio Olympics, 2014 Spain Basketball World Championships). Kyrie is the most fearsome finisher in the NBA today. His handle is arguably the best in the league (at worst, he’s top 2). He really does have relentless range, and his creativity and ability off the bounce make him one of the world’s greatest at getting you a bucket (any kind of bucket), whatever the defense, whatever the situation. He has proven in Boston that he is an alpha and a willing playmaker. Add to that his fearlessness, ferocity, and the force and finesse with which he can finish, and you have the foundation for one of the most explosive offensive player in the league. Throw in easily the most outstanding off-hand in the game, and you’d be hard pressed to find a way to stop him. He finished his first season as a Celtic averaging 24.4 points per game (top 10 in scoring, just behind reigning Finals MVP Kevin Durant and reigning regular season MVP Russell Westbrook), in the top 10 in Player Efficiency Rating (PER), ahead of guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, CP, Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, and Victor Oladipo. He also finished with the same rating as Chris Paul in terms of Value Over Replacement player, JUST behind guys like Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons, and Stephen Curry. Finally, his offensive box plus/minus numbers round out a Top 5 consisting of himself, Damian Lillard, LeBron James, James Harden, and Steph. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until the next season to see Kyrie ruthlessly run through NBA defenses with the greatest of ease, but what a sight to behold Boston will be then.
The Celtics were 46-20 before Irving went out at halftime with an injury against Indiana. They’ve soldiered on, going 8-3 since, but they will truly miss him come playoff time. A veteran of 3 consecutive NBA Finals, Irving outgrew his injury plagued early career and proven that he is one of the most durable players in the league, especially given the how he attacked the rack so uncompromisingly early in his career. While he talks about his “Mamba Mentality” and how Kobe has influenced him, you can see some of Michael in how he maneuvers around the basket. I’m not making an outright comparison, but while you’re on KZfaq, go back and check out some MJ film on how he finished…it’s not dissimilar. Both are essentially ambidextrous contortionists, with equal amount of flair for acrobatics and dramatics. He was also influenced greatly by his godfather Rod Strickland, the handle and craftiness are visible immediately if you know what you’re looking for. Regardless, Kyrie is a whole new breed. Allen Iverson admitted he never had the handle that Kyrie (and Steph) possess, and the way Irving initiates contact and powers through, you can see a shade of the Answer in the endless question that is how to solve Kyrie’s game. Basically, I’m saying this NBA champion is one of the most dangerous dudes on the court no matter who he’s out there with.