Without a doubt, Kyrie Irving is one of the most exciting players in the league. His insane dribbling skills and excellent shooting ability puts him among the best guards in the NBA, and also one of the most popular.
His ability to take over games with his offense is quite impressive, and he is very capable of going off for big scoring nights as previously seen when he dropped 57 points not too long ago.
Still, Kyrie Irving has been overrated by many fans in the league who may be blinded by his exciting dribble moves and gorgeous flip layups. Here are the main reasons why Kyrie is an overrated player.
4. Leadership
Kyrie Irving, despite winning an NBA Championship, decided that he wanted to move away from the big shadow of LeBron James and have his own team before joining the Celtics.
Kyrie started the season well, showcasing improved playmaking ability and exciting offense. But the Celtics never managed to be dominant with him on the floor. As a matter of fact, they seemed to play better without him.
Kyrie was not the leader Boston needed and does not seem to have what it takes to be the number one guy on the team. He seems a bit shy and does not have the confidence to take over a locker room as LeBron James did.
3. Defense and Playmaking
While Kyrie has all the tools to be a complete superstar point guard. He is quick on his feet and has a tremendous feel for the game. He even managed to up his assist numbers as the main man with the Celtics.
But Kyrie is not as good as the other superstar point guards in both his defensive impact and playmaking. Kyrie only averages 5.7 assists for his career as a point guard, and almost 3 turnovers per game. Irving does not seem to be able to get guys open shots as much as he is able to create for himself. He might be, in fact, a shooting guard in a point guard’s body.
Defensively, he has shown many moments where he has lapses on defense and this might be the reason why Boston went deep in the Playoffs without him where Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier were locked in every night.
2. Impact
Kyrie, although a tremendous scoring threat and an exciting talent, does not impact the game as he should. He is the type of player who thrives in a Robin role, not a Batman role. He is excellent as a second option where he can create for himself and showcase his offensive talents.
But winning games and making your team better is a clear indication of a superstar player impact – and Kyrie does not always live up to these. Not to mention, Kyrie averages 22 PPG for his entire career which is not on par with some of the other star point guards who excels in many other areas as well.
1. Scoring
While Kyrie is a great scorer, he is often overrated in this aspect. Irving averaged under 24 PPG in 33 minutes of okay last season, and only averages 22 PPG for his career. Not to mention, he never averaged more than 25 PPG in a season over his entire career despite being the number one option most of the time. Compared to the top scorers in the league, he is not even in the top 15. For a superstar player whose best attribute is scoring, there are quite a few players better than him.
As good as Kyrie is, he is not the cream of the crop of point guards and is actually the perfect sidekick player alongside another superstar player. He can score, but is often best used as a secondary scorer.
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