{"id":71432,"date":"2024-04-01T13:05:35","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T17:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=71432"},"modified":"2024-04-01T13:06:32","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T17:06:32","slug":"houston-rockets-coach-lauds-former-nba-champion-ime-udoka-kyrie-irving-dallas-mavericks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/04\/01\/houston-rockets-coach-lauds-former-nba-champion-ime-udoka-kyrie-irving-dallas-mavericks\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Rockets Coach Lauds Former NBA Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Houston Rockets head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/u\/udokaim01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-01_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ime Udoka<\/a> recently spoke very highly of Dallas Mavericks guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/irvinky01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-01_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyrie Irving<\/a>. After his team&#8217;s 107-125 loss to Irving&#8217;s Mavericks on Sunday, Udoka called the one-time NBA champion &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/mavericks\/news\/kyrie-irving-dallas-mavs-most-skilled-offensive-player-ever-ima-udoka-houston-rockets\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the best one-on-one player I&#8217;ve ever seen<\/a>&#8220;:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI would echo that statement, that he\u2019s the best one-on-one player I\u2019ve ever seen or coached or been around,\u201d Udoka said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not a one-off. It\u2019s not one game or every other game. It\u2019s an every night thing. It\u2019s an every practice thing. He does something that wows you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were all talking about the best one-on-one players,\u201d Udoka continued. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In the game, Irving recorded 24 points while shooting 9-for-19 shooting from the field. Additionally, he shot 4-for-9 from the three-point line. On the season, the Duke alum is averaging 25.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.<\/p>\n<p>Udoka was an assistant coach for Irving with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2020-21 season.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cHe\u2019s the best one-on-one player I\u2019ve ever seen or coached or been around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Ime Udoka on Kyrie Irving<\/p>\n<p>(Via <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/e1B9GimWhV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/e1B9GimWhV<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qX1u2tu8mA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/qX1u2tu8mA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDunkCentral\/status\/1774827533793391029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Houston Rockets Coach Lauds Former NBA Champion<\/h2>\n<h3>Ime Udoka Is Not the Only One to Praise Kyrie Irving<\/h3>\n<p>Since entering the league in 2011, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/02\/22\/nba-icon-knights-kyrie-irving-greatest-ball-handler-ever\/\" target=\"_self\">Irving<\/a> has been considered one of the most exciting and electrifying players in the NBA. 13 years later, Irving&#8217;s game is still being appreciated by fans, coaches, and players. Recently, teammate and MVP candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-01_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luka Doncic<\/a> called Irving &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/basketnews.com\/news-203828-luka-doncic-on-kyrie-irving-hes-the-batman-im-the-robin.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Batman<\/a>&#8221; of their duo:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s [Kyrie] the Batman, I&#8217;m the Robin,&#8221; Doncic said in the post-game interview. &#8220;Nah, just amazing, man. Every guy on our team is amazing. He&#8217;s just a great person, we get along so well. The chemistry is really good right now.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Furthermore, Golden State Warriors forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greendr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-01_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Draymond Green<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/hoopshype.com\/2024\/03\/19\/draymond-green-kyrie-irving-is-the-scorer-that-everyone-thinks-kevin-durant-is\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spoke highly of Irving<\/a> in a recent podcast episode, \u201cKyrie Irving is the scorer that everyone thinks of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-01_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a>.\u201d Additionally, after Irving&#8217;s spectacular <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/qkuxg6-YCVo?si=pGg0oMngObJ_O-ZB\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">game-winning shot<\/a> against the Denver Nuggets last month, ESPN&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willija03.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-01_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jay Williams<\/a> called Irving &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nba\/mavericks\/news\/game-winner-luka-doncic-stephen-a-smith-most-skilled-ever-kyrie-irving-special-shot-dallas-mavs-world-react\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the most skilled player in the history of basketball<\/a>&#8220;:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The most skilled player in the history of basketball,&#8221; Williams vehemently said. &#8220;Come at me [and] say whatever the hell you want, there is no player in the game of basketball as skilled [as Irving].&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Perhaps most telling, however, is Mark Cuban&#8217;s comments on the Dallas Mavericks guard. The current minority owner of the team, Cuban recently expressed his admiration for how Irving is off the court:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s certain people, when you hug them, you feel who they are. That&#8217;s Kyrie Irving.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#8220;There&#8217;s certain people, when you hug them, you feel who they are. That&#8217;s Kyrie Irving&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mcuban?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@mcuban<\/a> takes <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Money23Green?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Money23Green<\/a> through trading for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KyrieIrving?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KyrieIrving<\/a> \ud83d\udcaf <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sb3YGwO9wY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/sb3YGwO9wY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheVolumeSports\/status\/1774835615324102871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word<\/h3>\n<p>At just 32 years old, Irving will likely remain in the NBA for the next several years. Even so, his impact on the court in his career so far has been remarkable. Irving is certainly one of the craftiest and most talented players the court has seen in league history. It will be interesting to see how the rest of his career plays out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka recently spoke very highly of Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving. After his team&#8217;s 107-125 loss to Irving&#8217;s Mavericks on Sunday, Udoka called the one-time NBA champion &#8220;the best one-on-one player I&#8217;ve ever seen&#8220;: \u201cI would echo that statement, that he\u2019s the best one-on-one player I\u2019ve ever seen or coached [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4631,"featured_media":71451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,30,25,31,62,3],"tags":[409,3821,69,406,1133],"class_list":["post-71432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-mavericks","category-warriors","category-rockets","category-nba","category-news","tag-draymond-green","tag-ime-udoka","tag-kevin-durant","tag-kyrie-irving","tag-luka-doncic"],"modified_by":"Elie Deglaoui","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4631"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}