Ime Udoka on Dallas Mavs' Kyrie Irving: 'By Far the Best Offensive Player I've Ever Seen'

Before Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavs ended the Houston Rockets' 11-game win streak, Ime Udoka offered major praise.

Mar 29, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) looks towards / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON — Before the Dallas Mavericks' 125-107 blowout victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, coach Ime Udoka praised Kyrie Irving's impact on the game of basketball.

Some people around the NBA have increasingly voiced their sentiment about Irving, saying that he's the "most skilled" player in history, whether it's his former superstar teammate Kevin Durant telling us at DallasBasketball.com or Udoka, who coached Irving in multiple settings, between as a member of the coaching staff for USA Basketball and the Brooklyn Nets.

Mar 29, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) looks towards / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Udoka described Irving as being the best player in one-on-one situations he's ever seen. Whether during a game or a practice, Irving has always done something to put on a show that surprises observers.

“I would echo that statement, that he’s the best one-on-one player I’ve ever seen or coached or been around,” Udoka said. “And it’s not a one-off. It’s not one game or every other game. It’s an every night thing. It’s an every practice thing. He does something that wows you.”

“We were all talking about the best one-on-one players,” Udoka continued. “I think without hesitation everybody said it was Kyrie. Like I said, I saw it on a day to day basis. It still makes you shake your head, some of the things.”

Udoka was not surprised that Irving was the one to pull off a left-handed floater from over 20 feet from the basket to beat the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets at the buzzer. The sentiment shifted further to Irving being described as being the best "offensive player" Udoka's ever seen, not just the most skilled isolation player.

“The left-handed runner to win the game a few games ago is something that he works on,” Udoka said. “He has that touch, has that confidence and it’s not a lucky shot by any means.

“A funny story, (former NBA coach) Mike D’Antonio was there with me, and all the great players he’s coached and seen, he taps my leg once a game when something Kyrie did offensively," Udoka continued. "So, it’s no surprise to anybody. I think he’s by far the best offensive player I’ve ever seen.”

After scoring 24 points and dealing seven assists to help the Mavs put away the Rockets, Irving shared his appreciation for Udoka's praise and offered an interesting perspective.

“I’m appreciative of those compliments,” Irving said. “And I honor those compliments."

Irving emphasized that while he appreciates the compliment of being described loftily, he wants his basketball legacy to be known for winning at the highest level.

“I’ll say this, as well. I’m appreciative of everyone’s ‘most-skilled’ compliments, but that’s not the reason why I picked up the basketball," Irving said. "I didn’t pick up the basketball to be the best one-on-one player or to be labeled as the most skilled."

“I just want to be known as a great winner; one of those guys that came through our league and left an impact and did it his own way, but also did it with some special teammates — and truly was inspirational in my approach" Irving continued. "And how I woke up every single day and worked toward my craft. And set an example for not only athletes, but for people around the world to follow my footsteps, to make mistakes in the public forum and learn from them, and mature as a young man. It’s not easy being a child prodigy growing up in America. People expect you to be more mature than what you are. ”

As a basketball historian, Irving emphasized the importance of crediting players from previous generations and doesn't want to be at the forefront of the "most skilled" debate while he's an active NBA player.

“I’m appreciative of Ime’s comments, but also I want to kind of relay the message to the rest of the world that the most skilled, just save those compliments for after I’m done.

"Again, I respect everyone’s compliments," Irving continued. "But don’t put me in that conversation until you really get to know NBA history and who’s come before me and guys that have scored gazillions of points and assists and rebounds and made a true impact. I just want to fall in alignment with that and just continue to pass the game on to this next generation in a better way.”