2011 Draft Profile - Kyrie Irving

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

Close to a can't miss PG prospect with probably the highest ceiling in the draft. He showed the most seamless transition of any freshman in the country before getting a foot injury early on that ended his season. Irving was on his way to being possibly the top PG in the nation, he did a tremendous job of unselfishly running the offense with established veteran players, at the same time putting up fantastic numbers and highlights while and leading his team to wins.

Irving is a good shooter from mid range and from deep and shows good shot selection. He is comfortable in half court as well as the fast break. He can take his man off the dribble at will and can finish at the goal or make a great pass. What is most impressive is despite being able to take over games like a lead guard he efficiently picks his spots well, handles the ball and keeps teammates involved like a true PG. He has the combination of flash and steady play, and handles himself well at the end of games. Also takes pride in defending the opposing PG.

It is difficult to find knocks on Kyrie. He has good enough size and strength for a PG but not ideal to move to another position. Although his injury is not thought to be severe it makes you wonder if he is going to be a victim to nagging injuries. The NBA schedule will be a big leap for him, but Irving is as good of an all around PG prospect as you will find and barring injury should be among the elite class of PGs sooner rather then later.

As a NBA comparison I would have to go with Kevin Johnson. Like KJ, Kyrie can be not just a premier PG but player in this league, and despite his size being diminutive by NBA standards Irving can be an un-guardable game changing performer. Unfortunately, I will tag Kyrie as having the same injury red flags that affected KJ.
Player profile submitted by: Tom Patterson

Would you like to write a player profile for any prospect that may be entering the 2011 NBA Draft? Email profiles of any player (even player’s not on our list) to our Webmaster. Credit will be given to the author of the profile.

College Basketball Stats

Kyrie Irving Videos

Kyrie Irving Highlights and Interview

Kyrie Irving Highlights

Click here to return