Post by jhb on May 12, 2021 7:53:48 GMT -5
Kyrie "World B. Flat" Irving
PG
6'2"
195
19
Duke
Despite missing the majority of his only college season, scouts have pretty much reached a consensus on Kyrie Irving, calling him the clear best prospect in the draft and making lofty comparisons to another elite PG who recently entered TMBSL in Chris Paul. In fact, most of the major dings on Irving's game from the scouting community mostly revolve around availability and experience due to the turf toe injury that caused him to miss most of his college career rather than actual on-court issues. He isn't an elite athlete relative to some other players that have come out with similar hype but his game is very advanced for a 19 year old with limited experience above high school. Scouts also point to his creativity and work ethic and say he has the mentality to not just elevate a franchise but to become a superstar as a professional athlete (which is a little weird considering he thinks the world is flat, but that's beside the point).
Offensively, Irving is a true facilitator who works to make his teammates better. He is an excellent decision maker who chooses only good opportunities for himself and avoids trouble by not over-dribbling and not getting too aggressive to the point he works himself into tough situations. He plays very much in control and scouts say he has one of the most advanced handles they've ever seen. Despite lacking elite athleticism, he is quick enough that he can still use his crossover to devastating effect to embarrass defenders attempting to stay in front of him. He finishes well in the paint and is strong enough and has advanced enough body control to absorb contact and finish when off-platform. Scouts say he could continue to get stronger and work on not getting over-aggressive on some drives to improve in this area, but those seem to be critiques that are a bit nit-picky. The biggest problem for opposing defenders is that you can't eliminate anything...he can go either way with either hand and control the ball and finish to great effect in both directions. He can use his handle to get past his defender or he can step-back and hit the mid-range jumper. If you force him to pass out, he'll manage to find someone wide open for a great look. His shot mechanics are very, very good and he hit 90% from the free throw line and over 45% from 3 in college. He can pretty much hit anything from halfcourt in if given a little space and time.
Defensively, Irving's good but not great athleticism may keep him from developing to an All-TMBSL defender level ceiling but he makes up for his lack of elite lateral quickness with long arms and big hands. He showed a knack for playing the passing lanes in Duke, but that was mostly against some weak OOC competition so who knows how that will play against TMBSL-level offenses.
All in all, Irving seems to be a very complete player with a very high ceiling. The injury questions and durability and lack of high-level experience certainly makes this a dice roll though, and his above average athleticism may limit how much more he can squeeze out of his natural talents as he already appears to be fairly advanced for his age and experience.