Former Brooklyn Nets point guard Mike James found himself in a heated debate earlier this week when he made an impassioned defense of Kyrie Irving and called him “more skilled” than Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry.
James, who played 13 games for Brooklyn during the 2020-21 season, started the fireworks when he responded to a ClutchPoints NBA graphic that named the “Mt. Rushmore” of the most skilled scorers of all-time. LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant held the original four spots.
But James quickly advocated for his former teammates by saying that Irving and James Harden had arguments to make the list.
“I can’t lie to y’all. Kyrie Irving prolly deserve to be on this list. James Harden gotta argument too,” James wrote on Twitter.
I can’t lie to y’all. Kyrie Irving prolly deserve to be on this list. James harden gotta argument too https://t.co/K9i09AXPYe
— Mike James (@TheNatural_05) August 30, 2021
James got to see Irving and Harden up close this last season in Brooklyn, so it makes sense why he’d be partial to those two. However, he took things a step too far when he started to defend one of his former teammates over some of the NBA’s other great scorers.
A fan responded to James’ first comment and mentioned that Curry should get some consideration on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time scorers. However, the former Nets point guard shot down that idea and called Irving “more skilled’ than Curry.
“Kyrie more skilled then Steph. Steph just shoot better,” James wrote on Twitter in response to another user. “Everything is in kyrie favor skill wise. But whatever u say fam.”
James later doubled down, as he continued to receive comments questioning his original defense of his former teammate.
“Look kyrie top 3 most skilled players ever,” James wrote. “Period. I said what i said. Move on.”
Kyrie more skilled then Steph. Steph just shoot better. Everything is in kyrie favor skill wise. But whatever u say fam.
— Mike James (@TheNatural_05) August 30, 2021
Look kyrie top 3 most skilled players ever. Period. I said what i said. Move on
— Mike James (@TheNatural_05) August 31, 2021
There’s no problem with saying that Irving is one of the most skilled NBA players in the league today, but to say that his skillset is almost entirely better than Curry’s is a stretch.
The Warriors point guard is far more than just a great shooter, which is where James’s argument falls apart. Curry has outscored Irving in all but two of the ten seasons that they’ve played together. The only two times that Irving did get the better of the match-up was when Curry played five games during the 2019-20 season and 26 games during the 2011-12 campaign.
More importantly for the argument, Curry has outscored his fellow point guard by doing far more than just bombing three-pointers. He does take more shots from beyond the arc, but he also uses his impressive handle to blow by opposing defenders and get to the rim. He’s a tremendous cutter and often gets easy lay-ups by moving well without the ball. To cap it all off, Curry is an elite passer and among the best in the NBA at getting his teammates open looks.
All of these accomplishments by the two-time MVP aren’t meant to take away from what Irving has accomplished as a player. The Nets point guard can create his own shot at will and seems to have a highlight worthy crossover every other night. However, he hasn’t quite achieved the same success individually as Curry.
On the whole, the two players are different enough to ever truly be compared side-by-side. James might be partial to Irving for now, but if he spent a few months with Curry, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his opinion change.
The post Former Nets Player Has A Telling Admission On Kyrie Irving appeared first on The Spun.
Leave a Reply