4x champion Draymond Green says Kyrie Irving is the most skilled player in the history of the NBA. In a segment on ‘The Draymond Green Show,’ the Warriors star explained the reasoning behind his take on the legendary “Uncle Drew” and took a jab at Kevin Durant in the process.
“Kyrie Irving is the scorer that everyone thinks of Kevin Durant. There are some things at time that you can do to Kevin to take it a little tough on him. He’s 7 feet, he handles the ball a lot, and if you time it right you can pres sup into Kevin and make things a little tougher. Kyrie Irving, you can’t do anything to make it tough on him.
Draymond Green knows Durant’s game pretty well having been his teammate for three years in Golden State. Recognized as one of the greatest scorers ever, Durant is averaging 27.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game on 50% shooting. But according to Draymond, he poses a different kind of challenge than someone like Irving.
While the 2x champion is no walk in the park to deal with, Draymond claims that he’s easier to slow down because of his limitations as a ball handler. Irving has no such limitation, as he demonstrated during Sunday night’s amazing game-winner over the defending champions.
Irving, an 8x All-Star, has long impressed with his amazing handles and shot-making ability. Even after 12 years, Irving remains one of the top guards in basketball and while his past is very controversial, not even Draymond Green can deny his place as arguably the greatest scorer ever.
How Dangerous Are Kyrie Irving And The Dallas Mavericks?
Since winning a championship in 2016, alongside LeBron James, it’s been nothing but chaos for Kyrie. After pitching his tent with the Boston Celtics years ago, he went back on his word and abandoned the team in 2019 after just two seasons with the franchise.
He then joined forces with Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets for four years before he made a mess of the situation. Amid the COVID pandemic, Irving refused to get vaccinated and started internal turmoil between himself and Nets ownership.
Now, in Dallas, Irving is staying for the long haul and there is hope that he and Luka can accomplish great things together. With averages of 25.4 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game on 49% shooting, Uncle Drew is having his best season in years and the Mavericks haven’t looked this good since Jalen Brunson’s final season there in 2022.
At 39-29 so far, Dallas is 7th in the West and just a half-game back from a top 6 seed. If they can get hot down the stretch and win most of these remaining games it should be enough to get them a guaranteed playoff spot in the West and ensure they don’t follow the same track as last year.
After everything he’s endured, Irving has nothing left to prove in the NBA but his talents and skillset give the Mavericks a huge advantage when competing with the elites. According to Daymond Green, Irving’s scoring potential is unparalleled and you can bet that every team in the West will be hoping to avoid a matchup against him, Luka Doncic, and the red-hot Mavericks.