Post by sniper on Nov 20, 2010 17:03:15 GMT -5
Kyrie Irving - PG, Freshman @ Duke. 6'2" 172 lbs
NBA Comparison: Chris Paul
Strengths
Weaknesses
Overall
Jon Wasserman 7/17/10
NBA Comparison: Chris Paul
Strengths
- An excellent athlete in a solid 6'2 point guard body, Irving has complete command and control of the basketball in terms of handle and running a team
- He's super quick, and makes it almost impossible for his defender to stay in front of him on a one on one basis
- Will cause havoc with his ability to get into the lane and open things up
- He has a remarkable ability to change direction on the dime, making him virtually unguardable and deadly in the open court
- Has shown the ability to finish with both hands around the basket
- His outside game is above average for a guard entering his freshman year - since he has the ball in his hands most of the time, most of his shots are pull ups off the dribble, which he has shown to be an effective weapon for him, displaying sound fundamentals with his feet setup and a smooth release ... has 3 point range
- He has solid point guard vision, and excels in the fast break whether it's finishing himself or throwing a timely setup pass to a teammate
- His pick and roll potential could be a big weapon moving forward, as he can make the initial pass or use his impressive change of speed ability coming off a screen to get to the rim
- Shows body control when going up in traffic with an ability to elude taller defenders in the air
- Defensively he plays aggressive on ball defense, showing quick footwork and the ability to stay in front of his man with a high motor and high intensity
- Very composed, mature young man both on and off the floor
Weaknesses
- Irving tends to get too caught up with his ability to handle the ball, at times causing over dribbling and poor offensive team possessions
- Since he's so quick and elusive off the dribble, he finds himself getting an open look on almost every possession, not necessarily a good thing from your point guard
- At 6'2 his size works at the college level, but won't give him much of an edge seeing over the defense at the professional level
- His shot release point is also somewhat low
- Shot selection and overall poise and control need improvement, however under Coach K that is unlikely to be an issue
Overall
- He will come in with established scorers around him, which will really help him in terms of growing as a playmaker and quarterback
- His quickness and talent combine to make him a pleasure to watch, as he should blossom into a premier guard in the country within his first year
He's almost a guaranteed one and done candidate, and I don't see him slipping out of the top 5
Jon Wasserman 7/17/10
Irving's terrific talent was on full display at this tournament. After watching him in this setting, there's little doubt he's going to have an immediate impact for Coach K at Duke, even though his role might be smaller than some of the other heralded freshman.
Irving has a great body and good size at 6-2. Offensively, he's as skilled and versatile as you can expect from a player his age. He's a very good athlete who can get to the basket in a variety of ways and is particularly effective in the pick-and-roll.
Irving has a nice stroke from the perimeter and made a number of shots from outside (both with his feet set and off the dribble) over the course of the week. Perhaps most impressive is the way he competes on the defensive end, though. He takes great pride in his work on this end of the floor, showing great fundamentals, a high effort level and terrific smarts. He gets right up in his man's grill and locks him down. Even when his team was up by a huge margin, he was still out there getting after it on every possession—he even attempted to take charges.
From DraftExpress.com www.draftexpress.com/article/FIBA-Americas-U-18-Championships-Top-American-Prospects-3529/#ixzz15rVtqRnk
Irving has a great body and good size at 6-2. Offensively, he's as skilled and versatile as you can expect from a player his age. He's a very good athlete who can get to the basket in a variety of ways and is particularly effective in the pick-and-roll.
Irving has a nice stroke from the perimeter and made a number of shots from outside (both with his feet set and off the dribble) over the course of the week. Perhaps most impressive is the way he competes on the defensive end, though. He takes great pride in his work on this end of the floor, showing great fundamentals, a high effort level and terrific smarts. He gets right up in his man's grill and locks him down. Even when his team was up by a huge margin, he was still out there getting after it on every possession—he even attempted to take charges.
From DraftExpress.com www.draftexpress.com/article/FIBA-Americas-U-18-Championships-Top-American-Prospects-3529/#ixzz15rVtqRnk
Irving will be the best point guard prospect heading to Duke since Jason Williams laced them up for the Blue Devils. He has great size for the 1 and all the intangibles you could ask for regarding that position. His handle is high-level and he had a number of dribbling exhibitions in the open court that were simply remarkable. His ball control, tight handle, and precision passing alone will make the Cameron Crazies lose their mind. He can explode to the rim with the best of them and he can knock down the 3-point jump shot with regularity. He manages the game very well and knows how to get his teammates involved. It will be shocking if he isn't an All-Conference performer and possible All-American his freshman season.
Kyrie Irving 2010 Basketball Recruiting Profile - ESPN espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/55821/kyrie-irving
Kyrie Irving 2010 Basketball Recruiting Profile - ESPN espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/55821/kyrie-irving
Kyrie Irving is special. He's the only college basketball player LeBron James follows on Twitter, and the only player Mike Krzyzewski has allowed to wear No. 1 at Duke. Coach K has been effusive in his praise for Irving, saying he'll "transform" the Blue Devils' offense. But what does Irving actually do that Jon Scheyer didn't last season?
I watched tape of the Blue Devils' final scrimmage, against Cal Poly Pomona, to find the answer: Irving acts as a "knife." The only other recent college point guard with defender-splitting skills like Irving's is John Wall. And while Wall displayed more raw speed in his year at Kentucky, Irving appears to be a better decision-maker on the fly. Watch this sequence against Pomona's 3-2 zone, in which Irving takes the ball on the left wing, waits for a Mason Plumlee screen, and comes off of it so sharply and without hesitation that he catches the other two top-line defenders moving in the wrong direction:
Once in the lane, Irving has no trouble drawing the left-block defender into the air, then dishing to Josh Hairston for an easy two.
The whole sequence isn't mind-blowing -- I imagine Irving will pull off crazier splits in pick-and-roll sets during the regular season -- but it certainly represents a departure from the staid point-guard play of Scheyer.
Duke,*Michigan State top first College Basketball Power Rankings - Luke Winn - SI.com sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/luke_winn/11/11/power.rankings.1/
I watched tape of the Blue Devils' final scrimmage, against Cal Poly Pomona, to find the answer: Irving acts as a "knife." The only other recent college point guard with defender-splitting skills like Irving's is John Wall. And while Wall displayed more raw speed in his year at Kentucky, Irving appears to be a better decision-maker on the fly. Watch this sequence against Pomona's 3-2 zone, in which Irving takes the ball on the left wing, waits for a Mason Plumlee screen, and comes off of it so sharply and without hesitation that he catches the other two top-line defenders moving in the wrong direction:
Once in the lane, Irving has no trouble drawing the left-block defender into the air, then dishing to Josh Hairston for an easy two.
The whole sequence isn't mind-blowing -- I imagine Irving will pull off crazier splits in pick-and-roll sets during the regular season -- but it certainly represents a departure from the staid point-guard play of Scheyer.
Duke,*Michigan State top first College Basketball Power Rankings - Luke Winn - SI.com sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/luke_winn/11/11/power.rankings.1/
A very smooth and fluid operator on the court. Irving will be handed the keys to Duke's offense from day1. I am very impressed at how he runs a team so precise at such a young age showing the IQ and leadership qualities that makes a successful point guard. He has a fearless mentality while constantly staying in attack mode and doesn't let up at any point during the game. At first glance, he doesn't appear to be very athletic but make no mistake about it, he has tremendous leaping ability and on occasions shows the flair for dramatics. Probably needs to bulk up a little but loves to draw contact while penetrating. A solid outside shooter with nice shot mechanics and range out to the NBA three.
A very flashy ball handler with great court vision but knows when to tone it down and lead teammates. He is a hard nosed competitor that takes pride in locking his man down on defense and shows that New Jersey background toughness. College fans better in joy now because his stay a Duke will be brief. Chris Paul comparisons to style of play and demeanor.
Player profile submitted by: Monta Williams
From MyNbaDraft.com www.mynbadraft.com/NBA-Draft-Profiles-2011/Kyrie-Irving
A very flashy ball handler with great court vision but knows when to tone it down and lead teammates. He is a hard nosed competitor that takes pride in locking his man down on defense and shows that New Jersey background toughness. College fans better in joy now because his stay a Duke will be brief. Chris Paul comparisons to style of play and demeanor.
Player profile submitted by: Monta Williams
From MyNbaDraft.com www.mynbadraft.com/NBA-Draft-Profiles-2011/Kyrie-Irving