Kyrie Irving is one of the most electric scorers in the league when he’s healthy, and there’s no doubt that he’s elite when he’s healthy and on the court. Even though he was a part-time player this season, Kyrie Irving still showed his talent, averaging 27.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 5.8 APG.
However, there’s no doubt that many are low on Kyrie Irving despite his talent. Recently, Brian Scalabrine has claimed that he’d be “seriously thinking about John Wall over Kyrie Irving” if he was the Brooklyn Nets, claiming that Kyrie Irving isn’t “as valuable” as people think:
Would the Nets be better with John Wall instead of Kyrie Irving next year?
Hear what @Scalabrine thinks ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/P5lmP7jzp3
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 31, 2022
I don’t think that Kyrie Irving is as valuable as people think. Here’s where I put him. If I’m Brooklyn, I’m seriously thinking about John Wall over Kyrie Irving… I’m saying if I had a choice I’m like, you know what? John Wall has positional size, he can play multiple positions. When motivated, he can guard. I know he has missed a ton of games… but so has Kyrie. At least I have some size out there. He might be a better fit for me than a Kyrie Irving.
There is no doubt that John Wall is still a capable basketball player that can contribute to wins. He did not play in the 2021-22 season, but in the 2020-21 season, John Wall put up 20.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 6.9 APG, albeit on poor efficiency.
Even though John Wall can still be effective as a player, he is not better than Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving’s offensive prowess alone puts him ahead of John Wall, even if he wasn’t exactly a reliable contributor to the team this season.
Hopefully, we see Kyrie Irving re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets this offseason and try to help the team win an NBA championship. He has stated his intentions to stay with the franchise previously, and we’ll see how successful the team is next season.
