I saw this tweet: Probasketballdraft @Probballdraft Anyone see @ESPNChrisPalmer piece rating @KyrieIrving & @Dame_Lillard? Said it was close but slight edge to Irving. Couldn't be more wrong. Which lead me to this article: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8866553/nba-better-damian-lillard-kyrie-irving But i dont have insider. I would say Irving is easily better now but depending on how much Lillard can improve and more importantly evolve I think he could be better but I love that he is at least in the same conversation at this point.
Saw that article and thought the same thing! Was at the CLE game last week and while Kryie is A-mazing, Lillard does have a smiliar star quality.
I would say that Lillard is a PG, and Irving isn't really, so... Lillard + Superstars > Irving + Superstars, but... Irving is actually a superstar himself, Lillard isn't.
Something to keep in mind, Lillard is 2 years older than Irving, so if anyone will improve more it's likely Irving
Kyrie will be a better and more efficient scorer. Dame will be the better playmaker. But in terms of overall talent and impact for now and the future, I take Kyrie.
Would love to have Kyrie on the Blazers . . . even if it meant giving up Lillard. But with all the talk over the past few years of finding a PGOF, so nice the Blazers finally got one they can pencil in for the next 4 years and concentrate on filling other positions.
Without a doubt, Kyrie has shown he's the better PG. But I'm happy with lillard! How long will Kyrie stay in Cleveland?
That can definitely be debatable. Irving went to a better school through college and lillard stayed in school 2 more years. Basically, Irving was in a better school and has more nba experience. Lillard is still learning the nba, believe it or not. His accomplishments as a rookie on a team with three other good scores, he's accomplished a lot.
Their rookie numbers are very comparable. Yes, Irving is two years younger, but there's also a learning curve during your first couple years in the league. I'd like to revisit this in a few years.
The conclusion of the article is correct, but there was something about the writing in that piece that was lacking.
What's funny was that draft class was considered one of the worst. Yet, one player maybe the best active player to play that position for the next 10 years.
Irving's big question is durability. Will he be healthy enough long-term? It's a big question for all athletes. But it's a bigger concern for a guy like Irving, who's struggled to stay healthy.
I think the difference in stats that jumps out at me is that Lillard is averaging more than an assist per game better than Irving. There's a major difference in attitude between the two, it seems to me. Lillard often doesn't really look for his shot until the end of the game. He's working to set up his teammates and doing a better job of it than Irving. Irving is never going to shy away from taking a shot and will undoubtedly be the guy that gets more media recognition for his scoring, but Lillard is a better true PG. This is off a bit, but to me this comparison is kind of like Iverson vs. Stockton. Iverson sure was fun to watch, but Stockton was the guy you wanted running your team. We can x off PGOF and be happy that we have PGON (Point Guard of Now).
I will admit that I didn't expect lillard to be this good. In fact, I suspected it would take another 1-2 years before we really seen his true value. It's still amazing for me to keep reminding myself he is still a rookie. You are correct sir. He is the point guard of the now.
But what kind of pieces are around Kyrie vs Dame? Does Kyrie have the star cast like we have? Or does he have to carry the weight of his team like Damian in college?
