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Just a day removed from his 23rd birthday, Kyrie Irving has been ranked as the fourth best point guard in the NBA by a combination of players, executives, and coaches. The voting took place around the time of his second 50 point outburst of the season, and also comes as Irving has won plaudits from Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe, among others.
Not for nothing, Kyrie Irving is one of two players in the NBA with a usage rate above 25%, a true shooting rate above 58, and an assist to turnover ratio better than 2:1. It wasn't long ago (and won't be long again) until we are arguing about whether Irving is a point guard at all. And the short answer is that when it comes to directing and leading an offense, Irving is pretty darn good. He's obviously benefited by the Cavs' additions. He should continue to improve. But he's pretty good right now.
The ranking is behind the ESPN Insider paywall, and you can check it out here. Here's the section on Kyrie:
4. Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers (630 points)
"He's an unbelievable finisher and his 50-point performance shows he can score at an elite level. However, he hasn't played in a playoff game yet. Can he knock down big shots when people are loading up on LeBron and the stakes are high? Can he make big shots in the playoffs? That's the question." -- NBA assistant coach
Can't wait to find out.