Kyrie ‘Underrated’ on NBA Top PG Rankings?

When ranking the NBA's top point guards, Kyrie Irving comes to mind for many. Where does the Mavs superstar rank according to HoopsHype?

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks undoubtedly have one of the NBA's elite backcourts, if not the best. With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavs became the only team with a pair of NBA All-Star starters during the 2022-23 season after completing the midseason trade to acquire Irving from the Brooklyn Nets.

Ahead of the 2023-24 season, HoopsHype ranked the top point guards in the NBA. For this list, Irving was considered a point guard along with his superstar backcourt partner, Doncic. 

Despite being an NBA All-Star starter last season, Irving ranked 13th on the list. He averaged 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 60 games played, but his ranking was impacted beyond what he does as a basketball talent. It came with an acknowledgement of possible underrating as a result. 

"Perhaps an underrating on our part, Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving put up huge numbers last season, splitting time between Dallas and Brooklyn after requesting a trade from the latter and landing with the former," Frank Urbina wrote. 

There was a mention that Irving perhaps would have ranked in the top 10 or even top five if the focus was purely on basketball talent. However, the list weighed what occurred during his time with the Nets.

"If we were talking purely about basketball, Irving likely would have cracked the Top 10, if not the Top 5, of this list, as he remains an elite scorer and ball-handler with very efficient scoring marks," Urbina said. 

"But there’s always the risk of something else popping up with Irving to stymie his production or get him off the floor altogether, making it difficult to project the best possible outcome for his first full season with the Mavericks in 2023-24," Urbina explained.

Irving has the potential to strongly impact his ranking on next year's list if he pulls off a strong season with the Mavs. However, even doing so for the 2023-24 season would be considered just a "step" in the right direction. 

"If Irving can last the full year in Dallas without at least requesting a trade, that would be a good step in the right direction for the eight-time All-Star," Urbina wrote.

The Mavs will need Irving healthy as much as possible throughout the upcoming season as the team aims to bounce-back from a 38-44 season.  

---

Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here. Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.