Kyrie Irving’s excellence gets jaw-dropping praise from Donovan Mitchell

Respect in the NBA among players is always earned, and superstar players recognize superstar players when they see them.

Without a doubt, Kyrie Irving is one of the most skilled and talented players in the NBA. With his ability to score, pass, ball handling and more, Irving has established himself with the Dallas Mavericks as a superstar player.

Irving’s talents haven’t gone without notice. Recently, Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell sat down on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game Podcast, and spoke highly of Irving

Kyrie Irving, according to Donovan Mitchell, is the hardest player to guard.
Mitchell named Irving as the NBA player who is the hardest to guard and who has the deepest bag.

“I don’t even think there’s, like, structure to what he’s doing,” remarked Mitchell. “It’s just that occasionally, he seems unsure of what he’s going to do.” He simply goes with the flow. He’s simply unique.”

Irving’s excellent ball handling and crossover skills have long been recognized; NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson declared Irving to have the best ball handles “ever.” Mitchell’s recognition of Irving’s excellence in the modern NBA is a huge plus.

But other people don’t like Irving’s style of play. Chris Broussard stated during an FS1 episode of First Things First that Irving wasn’t on par with guys like Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas in terms of skill. In response to Broussard, Irving finished his first full season in Dallas with an average of more than 25 points per game and 41 percent from three.

Although Irving can make clutch shots when it counts, he mentors others more skillfully than he has ever done in his career. With his leadership and role as a mentor, Luka Doncic has been Irving’s best friend, and the two are bound for greater things in Dallas.

Given that the Mavericks are currently ranked third in the West behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets in the most recent NBA power rankings, Mitchell’s remarks may provide Irving and the team additional incentive for the next 2024–25 campaign. Irving may be more driven to lead the Mavericks back to the NBA Finals now that they are being disregarded in the West.

Mitchell respects Irving, which is advantageous for Irving. Mitchell believes Irving will have even greater success in the future and that he will have another fantastic season in Dallas with Doncic and, now, Klay Thompson.

“Y’all don’t understand, like, he just, you know, he’s different,” Mitchell stated. “You know, like, I got a lot of respect for Kai.”