Kyrie is a top 10, maybe top 5 player

[Fencer reregistered]

If his recent playmaking is here to stay then for sure he will bump up the rankings a lot. That and his defense has always been his biggest weaknesses. But it's far too early to be making any crazy comments like this lol.

Exactly. He's added a lot to his game this season, but it's not consistent yet.

[Triple7]

Top 5 player cant lead his team to top 3 in the East?

So who’s your top 5 then?
Let’s see Harden’s Rockets no.5 in the west, Lebron’s lakers no.9, AD’s pelicans, well oops no.13.

[valrond1]

I can't put him in my top 10 mainly due to his defense.
I rate LBJ, Durant, Curry, Harden, PG, Westbrook, Giannis, Kawhi, Jokic, and AD all ahead of Kyrie. I might even Luka ahead of him soon too. Embiid is another on the bubble. Dame is an equivalent for Kyrie too in my book.

I will say that if you need to make a last second shot to win a game Kyrie is definitely in that top 5.

It is curious that you put Harden in the top 10 while you don't put Kyrie because of the defense.

RIght now, Kyrie is the 2nd best PG in the league, and, come the playoffs, I wouldn't take even Curry ahead of him. You can count on Kyrie taking over games and making the decisive shots, unlike some flopper out there.

[dautjazz]

Top 5 player cant lead his team to top 3 in the East?

Giannis didn't last year, Embiid isn't this year. He def isn't a top five player but it's not a stretch to say he could be around ten this year with his improved defense and assist number improvement. NBA.com has him ten on the MVP ranking.

It is rather silly, MJ was on a losing team during years where he was clearly a top 5 player, same with McGrady, Kobe, and many others.

[old skool]

I'm not concerned about where Kyrie ranks because that will be proven in the playoffs, and the same goes for Antetokounpo, Harden, Leonard, etc. Kyrie has duelled with Curry in the Finals, and I think he had possibly edged him in those one on one matchups, but he has to prove himself again in the playoffs in his new role.

Why do Kyrie and Leonard who have been elite playoff performers who helped their teams win rings get placed in the same category as Giannis who has done nothing in the playoffs? Harden is on another level

For the same reason that Charles Barkley and Elgin Baylor are recognized as better players than Robert Horry and Steve Kerr.

This is not very difficult to comprehend.

Sent from my SM-N960U using RealGM mobile app

[SkillzFromThe6]

Definitely not top 5.

Here's my top 10:

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Kawhi Leonard
4. Stephen Curry
5. Paul George (I feel he's been underrated his whole career, so I'm bias)
6. James Harden
7. Anthony Davis
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo
9. Russell Westbrook
10. Joel Embiid

Most would probably swap out Paul George in the top 10, so my 11th would be between Kyrie/DeRozan/Klay

[MemphisX]

I can't put him in my top 10 mainly due to his defense.
I rate LBJ, Durant, Curry, Harden, PG, Westbrook, Giannis, Kawhi, Jokic, and AD all ahead of Kyrie. I might even Luka ahead of him soon too. Embiid is another on the bubble. Dame is an equivalent for Kyrie too in my book.

I will say that if you need to make a last second shot to win a game Kyrie is definitely in that top 5.

We will see what Kyrie does as the top dog on his own team in the playoffs but I expect him to out perform every player in bold in the playoffs.

[Optms]

Definitely not top 5.

Here's my top 10:

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Kawhi Leonard
4. Stephen Curry
5. Paul George (I feel he's been underrated his whole career, so I'm bias)
6. James Harden
7. Anthony Davis
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo
9. Russell Westbrook
10. Joel Embiid

Most would probably swap out Paul George in the top 10, so my 11th would be between Kyrie/DeRozan/Klay

Great list. Where is Jokic though?

I also have Kyrie just outside the top 10. As far as top 5 though: zero argument.

[SkillzFromThe6]

Definitely not top 5.

Here's my top 10:

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Kawhi Leonard
4. Stephen Curry
5. Paul George (I feel he's been underrated his whole career, so I'm bias)
6. James Harden
7. Anthony Davis
8. Giannis Antetokounmpo
9. Russell Westbrook
10. Joel Embiid

Most would probably swap out Paul George in the top 10, so my 11th would be between Kyrie/DeRozan/Klay

Great list. Where is Jokic though?

I also have Kyrie just outside the top 10. As far as top 5 though: zero argument.

I love Jokic (I'm a Denver/Raptors fan). I need to see him in the playoffs, though. Just 1 round.

[Duke4life831]

He's not a top 5 player. I think you can definitely make the argument for top 10 though. He has definitely added a lot to his game this year.

[spicy6]

Lets put it this way I can come up with 12-13 players better than kyrie overall in no order and have proven it time and time again. lebron, durant, curry, kawhi, giannis, harden, russ, ad, embiid, paul george, jokic, dame and maybe even gobert impact wise. Hes barely top 15.

Gobert??? that’s funny. That guy doesn’t have an offensive game. No post moves. Just a big man that’s active on the boards and defense.

I meant impact wise but you could argue it I wouldnt though. The rest with the exception of maybe lillard which is debatable are better for sure.

[Hello Brooklyn]

LeBron
Steph
Durant
Harden
Giannis
Kawhi

I would probably put Kyrie here.

Embiid
Anthony Davis
Paul George

I'm not sure how you can put Kyrie outside of the top 10. Hes an elite player on a good team that has played like a Superstar in the NBA Finals.

[ZemGOAT]

Top 20 for sure

[INKtastic]

Kyrie Irving has hit the biggest shot in NBA history.

The game winning shot in game 7 of an NBA finals shot over the unanimous MVP when his team came back from down 3-1 to win the series. If that's not at least in the discussion of the biggest shot in NBA history, what shot is clearly bigger, factoring in what was on the line when he took the shot?

[Duke4life831]

LeBron
Steph
Durant
Harden
Giannis
Kawhi

I would probably put Kyrie here.

Embiid
Anthony Davis
Paul George

I'm not sure how you can put Kyrie outside of the top 10. Hes an elite player on a good team that has played like a Superstar in the NBA Finals.

I have AD above him. I have Kyrie in the Embiid, PG, Jokic tier. So I have him anywhere from 8-11.

[INKtastic]

Kyrie in the past had been somewhat overrated

No, he's always been criminally underrated.

[Effigy]

He's in the conversation for the bottom part of the top 10. Could just make it or just miss it depending on your opinion. Definitely not top 5 though.

[Hello Brooklyn]

LeBron
Steph
Durant
Harden
Giannis
Kawhi

I would probably put Kyrie here.

Embiid
Anthony Davis
Paul George

I'm not sure how you can put Kyrie outside of the top 10. Hes an elite player on a good team that has played like a Superstar in the NBA Finals.

I have AD above him. I have Kyrie in the Embiid, PG, Jokic tier. So I have him anywhere from 8-11.

AD I can see. Although I personally would not because his teams are always so bad.

George maybe, but he was terrible in the playoffs last year. And hes never shown to be elite offensively beyond this regular season.

But I don't really see Embiid or Jokic at all. Embiid got sonned last year by the Celtics. I haven't seen him have that elite ability to take his team to the next level. And Jokic is not even close. Just because the Nuggets are having a good regular season doesn't mean hes as good as Kyrie, who put up 30 a game in 3 straight Finals and hit one of the biggest shots in NBA history.

[SmartWentCrazy]

I think there are 6 to 8 people who have solid arguments to be considered top 5 players. Then another 6-8 people who have arguments to be considered top 10 players.

Kyrie is objectively in that second group; however, its entirely subjective where you rank him in that tier. In my opinion, any ordering is just splitting hairs and the second tier is all basically the same with respect to quality/impact.

[HeartBreakKid]

AD I can see. Although I personally would not because his teams are always so bad.

The Celtics aren't even a bad team without Kyrie Irving (we literally saw this last year) - they would play differently and adapt, talent wise the Celtics trump the Pelicans. The Pelicans were not a bad team last year - if Irving was on the Pelicans this year instead of Davis I doubt they would be any better.

I just don't see it at this point how Irving could possibly be better than Davis. Davis has way too much production and he is a match up nightmare given his size.

George maybe, but he was terrible in the playoffs last year. And hes never shown to be elite offensively beyond this regular season.

Paul George had a bad game 7 last year, but that doesn't mean his entire series was bad. Paul George is a defensive player first, so he doesn't need to be elite offensively to have elite impact.

I don't disagree that Irving might be better because I think George is kind of media hype (like Irving is), and he is a bit overrated this season (it's his best season, but he was never a dominant RS player) - but I think George takes way too much criticism for his series against the Jazz. He carried the Thunder for like the first 5 games, and was pretty much the scapegoat when they lost.

But I don't really see Embiid or Jokic at all. Embiid got sonned last year by the Celtics last year.

Embiid is a better player, getting "sonned" by the Celtics isn't that bad considering they were the best defense in the league, Kyrie Irving did not play against the Celtics last year to compare (which pretty much mean Embiid losing to them is rather irrelevant), Kyrie Irving didn't even play for the Celtics last year because he was hurt.

I mean - you can think of a better reason than Joel Embiid losing in the 2nd round, can't you? Also, Embiid is a two way player, he can be stopped offensively and still be a menace.

And Jokic is not even close. Just because the Nuggets are having a good regular season doesn't mean hes as good as Kyrie, who put up 30 a game in 3 straight Finals and hit one of the biggest shots in NBA history.

Jokic is better than Embiid and George, so to say that this one is not even close but the others are is a head scratcher to me.

The argument for Irving this year is about how good he is doing in the regular season, so how does Jokic having a good RS not mean anything?

Hitting one of the biggest shots in NBA history 3 years ago has little relevancy to this comparison - the fact that you have to make romantic narratives doesn't seem like a very good argument. You know Robert Horry hit big shots also, it doesn't mean anything...Kyrie Irving does what stars do in the post season, so yes, he had a great moment, but he also had a great team in order to show case his potential. Jokic obviously hasn't had that moment, but you can't miss a shot you haven't taken, he has never been in a position to be in the NBA finals so I am not sure why Kyrie Irving dropping 30 on Stephen Curry means he is automatically better several years ago.

Everything about Jokic's game will translate into the post season - and being in competition for the #1 seed in the West with his roster is pretty damn significant. I'm not sure how you can just *shrug* that one off.

Jokic is a stretch 5, GOAT playmaker (a better passer than Kyrie is, despite being a center), a legit double digit rebounder, legit post game - he doesn't score a lot of points but he doesn't need to (and despite popular belief, Kyrie Irving has never been about dropping a ton of points either). Give Jokic a fair shake.



Kyrie is playing great, but when ever Kyrie plays well the media and fans really overrate him because his play style is very aesthetic to watch. He isn't a top 5 player, he isn't way ahead of the guys you are comparing him to. Players with rings are not automatically better than players without rings.

I'm very happy Irving is stepping up and playing his best ball and proving he doesn't need LBJ to be good, but I hate it when people exaggerate what he is and what he isn't. He hasn't done enough yet to prove he is a superstar, so I am not going to pretend he is one.