In the aftermath of his 60-point night, Kyrie Irving has left quite an impression on the NBA community.
Amid widespread praise for the Nets guard, Kendrick Perkins appeared on “NBA Today” to hail him as the most skilled player to ever play the game.
“Five days ago, I apologized to Kyrie and I said I would never say anything bad about him again as long as I’m in the media and I’m glad I did. Cause after that performance last night, he would have made me look like a fool. And yes, I’m doubling down with Evan Fournier and saying he is the most skilled player to ever play the game. And it’s no disrespect to Michael Jordan, it’s no disrespect to the late, great Kobe Bryant, it’s no disrespect to Olajuwon and a lot of others.
But when you look at what Kyrie is doing, it’s not what he is doing, it’s how he does it. At 6-2 he has the complete offensive package. Being able to finish around the rim, he has an elite post-up game, a guy that probably has the best handles in NBA history. And when his jumper is falling from the three-point line, it is over. There’s nothing you can do as far as scheme-wise, double team, triple team to stop this young man!”
“[Kyrie Irving] is the most skilled player to ever play the game. … At 6-2 he has the complete offensive package. … There’s nothing you can do as far as scheme wise, double team, triple team to stop this young man!”
—@KendrickPerkins 👀 pic.twitter.com/KgCofH3iCR
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 16, 2022
It’s a hot take from Perkins. In a league where guys like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, and even LeBron James have dominated, putting Kyrie above them skill-wise is pretty controversial.
Nevertheless, this is the feeling around the NBA by a lot of fans. When taking into account Irving’s total offensive package, it’s not hard to see why some might be convinced.
Irving, 29, is having one of the best stretches of his career. In 18 games, he’s averaging 27.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game on 49% shooting.
