The Brooklyn Nets have become one of the most talked about teams in the NBA after forming an incredible super-team with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. Each of those players are elite at their position and actually are historically good, for that matter.
When talking with HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Nets coach Steve Nash expressed his belief that Kyrie Irving is a ‘more skilled’ player than Allen Iverson was. However, Iverson was a ‘more explosive’ player.
“I think [Allen Iverson] was special in his own right. I think [Kyrie Irving] is more skilled. I think allen was different. Allen was electrifying in a different way. He got to the line a lot. Allen was a crazy competitor.
“The variety of shot making coupled with the accuracy that Kyrie has is historic. Allen is Allen. He’s one of the all-time greats. Kyrie, if you look at what he’s able to do on the court is historic too in the skill level and way he’s able to get his.”
It’s not easy making head-to-head comparisons to players who had different styles and most importantly, played in different eras. When doing so, it’s very noticeable that Kyrie Irving had much greater scoring efficiency than Allen Iverson, but never had to play the same incredible volume of minutes.
It’s important to remember, Allen Iverson not only averaged over 40 minutes per game during 11 seasons of his 14-year NBA career, but he led the league in minutes per game during a staggering seven of those seasons.
When coupling that floor spacing was not nearly as favorable during his era, it’s understandable to see a difference in efficiency when compared to Kyrie Irving. However, there still is no denying that Irving is a far more capable pull-up shooter and three-point threat, in general.
So far this season, Kyrie Irving is playing a high level with averages of 28.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. He’s posting incredible shooting splits by going 53.5% from the field, 44.7% on three-pointers, and 94.8% on free throws.
Making player comparisons with former stars isn’t all that important but is an entertaining conversation, nevertheless. What’s at the top of the list is Kyrie Irving helping the Brooklyn Nets to win a championship alongside James Harden and Kevin Durant.
