HoopsHype recently made a list of the top-twenty-five Point Guards in the league and Kyrie Irving shows up on the list at number eight. While there are some headscratchers on this list, they definitely got Irving right as far as his ranking goes.
Even without playing many games last season, Irving is still one of the best scoring guards in the league. He can score at all three levels and he is a menace to stop in the pick and roll. Not to mention his Iverson-like ball skills and killer crossovers.
HoopsHype’s point guard ranking reasoning for Irving:
Irving has many out there who consider him to be the best dribbler basketball has ever seen.
Add to that his stop-on-a-dime shooting ability, his range from beyond the arc and his layup package – one that allows him to finish with either hand and among the trees with ease – and it’s easy to see why he’s considered one of the most gifted scorers the lead-guard spot has ever produced.
If the constant off-court noise with Irving wasn’t so boisterous, he certainly would have finished higher in these rankings. After all, despite the drama, Irving still put up 27.4 points, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 2021-22 while shooting 41.8 percent from three.
The big problem keeping Irving from being higher on the list is himself. At times he gets in the way of his own success and at times he isn’t as dedicated as he could be. At his best though he isn’t far from number one. The biggest issue of course is keeping him on the basketball court. The seven names in front of him all can stay on the court so it is an accurate ranking.
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