Regarding ball handling, Kyrie Irving is in a league of his own. A large majority consider the Dallas Mavericks star among the toughest players to defend. Former Atlanta Hawks star Jeff Teague went toe-to-toe against Irving on multiple occasions, yet believes another point guard is harder to defend.
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Historically, many consider Allen Iverson to have the best handles in NBA history. Even the Philadelphia 76ers legend once admitted that Irving has him beat in that department.
“He got the best,” Iverson said on The Big Podcast. “He’s the best … Kyrie will have you beat and then bring it back and play with it. He’s toying with people.”
Jeff Teague understands that, in an isolation possession, Kyrie Irving is a nightmare to defend. But that is only one aspect of basketball. In a 5-on-5 NBA game, Stephen Curry caused the one-time All-Star many more fits.
“At least you know where Kyrie is going to be. You’re going to catch him right on that hash, and he’s going to iso you. You look one way, and Steph is taking off the other. You’ve got to catch up,” Teague said on the Club 520 Podcast.
Curry’s constant off-ball movements require incredible stamina to keep up with. In most instances, players don’t train to run all over the court in the manner Curry does. To make matters worse, his teammates are setting screens that opponents have to fight through.
“It’s harder to guard them players just because you got to go around so many screens. You’re constantly getting screened, getting hit. Iso players, it’s just you and him,” Teague added.
Teague’s comments aren’t suggesting that it’s easier to stop Kyrie because it’s less demanding on the body. It’s still a tough job, as demonstrated by Teague’s track record against Irving. In matchups against one another, the nine-time All-Star has scored 50, 40 and 35 points.
The former NBA player turned podcaster isn’t the first person to talk about the difficulties that come with facing Curry. The four-time NBA champion’s teammate, Moses Moody, once revealed the struggles he experienced against Curry in practice.
“One of my first times, I ripped him, and I’m a rookie. I’m just coming in, so I’m feeling good about it,” Moody said. “Then Steph do what Steph do. He goes crazy and all that. I’m like, ‘OK, that feeling was right!’ I knew what I felt. Everybody knew what was about to go down.”
Teague and Moody raise compelling points that often get overlooked when comparing Irving to Curry. Regardless, one thing that the consensus can agree upon is that both are extremely difficult to defend.
