- Kyrie Irving is an incredible ball-handler
- Irving believes he has the best handles in the NBA at the moment
- Kyrie called himself the “King of Handles”
Kyrie Irving doesn’t think there is anyone in the NBA right now with better handles than him. When asked who has the best handles at the moment, Irving stated it has to be him.
“I would say that I am the king of handles right now,” Irving said. “For the time being until somebody’s better than me and does some even some spectacular stuff, more exciting stuff, but you’re looking at him. I feel like I have the best handles and also the best creativity out there.”
Kyrie is speaking nothing but FACTS 🗣👑 pic.twitter.com/2sG1ExF2CN
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) September 29, 2023
Kyrie tends to split opinion with his comments, more often than not, but he won’t be getting a whole lot of pushback on this. You can make a strong case for the 31-year-old having the best handles in NBA history, as it is really quite remarkable how good he is with the ball in his hands.
LeBron James Praised Kyrie Irving’s Handles
LeBron James got to see Kyrie in action first-hand for three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the eight-time All-Star left a very strong impression on him. James believes Irving is simply the best player ever with the ball in his hands.
Irving was perhaps at his best back in those days alongside LeBron, and the two went on to win the championship in 2016. Another former teammate of his on that championship team was of the same opinion, as Richard Jefferson said Irving has the best handles of all time.
We don’t disagree either, as our ranking of the 15 greatest ball-handlers in NBA history had Kyrie at the top.
Kyrie Irving And The Mavericks Are Eyeing A Bounce-Back Season
When the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie mid-way through the 2022-23 campaign, it was seen as a boom or bust move. Well, it was a bust in 2022-23, as the Mavericks failed to even make the play-in tournament, finishing with a 38-44 record.
Many pointed to the Irving trade as the biggest reason for it. While he played well individually, with averages of 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, Irving wasn’t a great fit alongside Luka Doncic.
They also struggled tremendously on defense after parting with Dorian Finney-Smith to acquire Irving, and the whole thing was just a disaster. Despite that, the Mavericks did give Kyrie a three-year, $126 million deal, and it’s now time to right the wrongs of last season.
The Mavericks have made some moves in their quest to turn things around, as they acquired Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics and traded for rookie Dereck Lively II. They both should help in some capacity on defense, but on offense, it will come down to Luka and Kyrie.
They are two of the best offensive players in the NBA but have to figure out how to play well alongside each other. They played 16 games together last season and went just 5-11 in them. Maybe the two of them having a proper pre-season under their belt together would help matters, but we can’t say for sure just yet.
If the Mavericks have another disappointing campaign, the decision to acquire Kyrie is going to go down as one of the worst they have ever made, and it could also potentially accelerate Doncic’s departure.
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