Player rankings are a favorite activity in the NBA community. As the offseason rolls forward, now feels like the perfect time to unveil our annual top 25 player rankings. Kicking off our top 25 is Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving. The dazzling 32-year-old guard is coming off one of his best seasons in recent years culminating in an NBA Finals run.
Top 25 NBA Players 2024-25: No. 25 – Kyrie Irving
A Dazzling Dynamic Scorer
Kyrie is arguably the best ball handler of all-time with Allen Iverson being the only other reasonable choice. The 6-foot-2 guard is also arguably the best below-the-rim-finisher in league history. As a finisher, he possesses unmatched craftiness and efficiency. Furthermore, Kyrie is an elite and efficient shooter both from mid-range and beyond the arc. This makes him a dynamic three-level scorer. Notably, Kyrie has posted impressive 47.7/39.3/88.6 shooting splits throughout his career. Overall with incredible handles, elite finishing, shooting, and an incredible offensive bag Irving is one the most skilled and entertaining players in league history.
Season Recap
Heading into the 2023-24 season there was plenty of doubt surrounding both Kyrie and the Mavs. The 20 games he played after being traded at the 2023 deadline saw the Mavericks fall out of the playoffs. Nevertheless, in his first full season with the Mavericks Kyrie shined and silenced many of his doubters. Kyrie posted averages of 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on excellent 49.7/41.1/90.5 shooting splits. Furthermore, his clutch time stats were among the best in the league. Kyrie averaged 4.2 clutch time points on staggering 60/42.1/95.5 shooting splits.
Most Clutch PPG last season (shooting splits):
4.6 — DeMar DeRozan (49/47/88%)
4.4 — Anfernee Simons (50/40/95%)
4.4 — Stephen Curry (50/46/95%)
4.2 — Kyrie Irving (60/42/96%) pic.twitter.com/kTbNAHvltB— Hoop Muse (@HoopMuse) August 21, 2024
The fifth-seeded Mavericks would go on to make an impressive Finals run. Irving was of course a key part of this run. Against the Clippers in the first round, he was an elite scorer, averaging 26.5 points on 51.4/44.9/85.2 splits. While Kyrie’s scoring dipped to 15.7 against the Thunder he had a well-rounded impact as a playmaker (6.2 assists) and played some of the best defense of his career.
Kyrie was particularly stellar in the Western Conference Finals against the Timberwolves averaging 27 points on 49/37.5/80.8 shooting splits. However, in the NBA Finals Kyrie struggled against the Celtics averaging 19.8 points, on 41.4 percent shooting from the field and 27.6 percent shooting from three he was also noticeably less impactful defensively. Putting aside the Finals this season was undoubtedly a successful one for Irving.
Season Outlook
The Mavericks’ addition of Klay Thompson will change Kyrie’s role in several ways. Most notably Thompson’s presence as a three-point shooter will give Kyrie more playmaking opportunities on drive and kick plays. Additionally, Kyrie will have more defensive responsibilities as Thompson is declining on that end of the floor. That’s not to say Kyrie is far better defensively than Thompson.
Nevertheless, for the trio of Luka Kyrie and Thompson to be successful, all of whom are below-average defenders everyone must chip in defensively especially with the loss of Derrick Jones Jr. Kyrie showed improved defense last season, especially in the series against OKC. While the Mavericks will still depend on Kyrie as an elite shot-creator his all-around contributions will be more important than ever.
The Last Word
At first glance 25 may seem too low for Kyrie. However, it’s important to note the league is loaded with talent. Furthermore, Kyrie is far from a flawless player. He hasn’t played in more than 65 games since his Boston days. Kyrie has also been consistently contained by elite defenses in the playoffs this was certainly the case in the Finals. Notably his point per game and field goal percentage has declined from the regular season to playoffs in each of his last four playoffs.
That’s not to diminish Kyrie as a playoff performer; he has some legendary playoff moments. However, his somewhat inconsistent playoff performances and lack of consistent availability hold him back a little on this list. Regardless, Kyrie is one of the most gifted scorers and impactful players. With a healthy season and another deep playoff run, Kyrie could certainly move up on this list next year.
