Former Cleveland Cavaliers player J.R. Smith had some great words of praise stored for the Dallas Mavericks’ star guard, Kyrie Irving. The two shared the court together at Cleveland, despite losing 3 NBA Finals to Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors. Undeterred by losing so many times to Curry’s offensive output, Smith still proclaimed on JJ Redick’s podcast how Kyrie Irving was the best scorer he had ever seen. Five months later, this quote has once again popped up, gaining significant traction on Reddit.
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Though Kyrie Irving’s image suffered significant blows from his off-court issues, his greatness on the court can never be undermined. Irving’s prolific scoring prowess helped LeBron James and the other Cavaliers bring home Cleveland’s first NBA title in 2016.
J.R. Smith believes Kyrie Irving is the best scorer he has ever seen
Smith, in the resurfaced interview, proclaimed his former Cavaliers teammate to be the best scorer he had ever seen. He complimented Kyrie’s various skills on the court, which include his ball handles, shooting, and layup abilities to grab buckets for the team. Praising his former teammate, Smith said:
“Kyrie the best scorer I’ve ever seen in my life. He can shoot left-handed, right-handed. He can shoot midrange, 3’s, spot-ups, off the dribble. He got the best handles we’ve ever seen. There’s nobody creatively on the basketball floor that can get any shot that they want better than him.”
Both Kyrie and J.R. Smith were crucial pieces in Cleveland’s championship-winning run in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors. The two players helped the Cavs come back from 1-3 down to eventually triumph 4-3 in the series. Kyrie’s 2016 heroics for the Cavs definitely cemented his name among the greats of basketball in the annals of the league.
It’s still surprising though that for a player who had faced the brunt of Curry’s genius, Irving still stood out as the best scorer. Yet, for Smith, who played alongside LeBron and against the greatest shooter in history, naming Kyrie the greatest scorer is definitely priceless praise.
Kyrie Irving considers himself the ‘King of Handles’ in basketball
Kyrie Irving is very well aware of his prowess in ball handling in basketball. In a Q&A session following the Mav’s training camp, Irving claimed himself to be the ‘King of Handles’ in basketball. Though Kyrie is humble enough to admit someone better might eventually replace him, he still believes he is a player with the best creativity currently in the league.
In all honesty, the man is in no way wrong. Kyrie’s abilities in basketball are considered special, especially for having swiftness in his handles. Furthermore, even Damian Lillard believes that Kyrie Irving’s playing style represents the most beautiful game in NBA history.
