Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is the 66th-best player in the NBA, according to an article by The Ringer earlier this week. The article ranks the top 100 players in the league currently based on a combination of factors.
For perspective, Irving, averaging 25.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on 47.9% shooting from the field and 32.7% from three-point land, is ranked just ahead of San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell and just behind Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro. Anyone familiar with the NBA knows that Irving is one of the best offensive players in the game as he can do anything that he wants on the court.
However, it’s no secret that Irving’s defense and durability leaves a lot to be desired. The Ringer gives their take on why Irving is ranked where he is:
“With his leaner stature and lackadaisical effort, defense has never been Irving’s strong suit—with the 2016 Finals being one of the only exceptions. But basketball is about more than putting the ball in the basket, or getting stops on defense. It’s about being able to stay on the floor. And availability knocks Kyrie down a peg. He hasn’t appeared in over 70 games in a season since he was 24 years old, whether due to injuries, vaccine mandates, or his choices on social media. Irving has simply not shown he can be relied on to actually play anywhere near as often as other stars, even in the load management era.”
The Nets’ next game is Friday at the Toronto Raptors.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fv0185pfxtewh01r player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=]
[listicle id=49450]
[listicle id=49453]