The Future of Point Guards
Kyrie Irving – Cleveland Cavaliers
That’s right, Kyrie Irving. As crazy as it might seem, Uncle Drew just turned 23 a week ago. He’s now in his 4th NBA season and already the highlights and accolades that he’s garnered would make most 10 year veterans in the league envious.
Mar 15, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
He’s already a three-time All-Star (earning the honor in all but his first season), he was recognized as the MVP of the All-Star Game in 2014, he won the three-point contest in 2013, and he was the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year.
It can be argued that Kyrie doesn’t belong on this list because the fact of the matter is his star is alright shining so brightly. However, that’s the scary part of this is that rhe’s only getting better. He’s already an elite scorer in the backcourt with arguably the greatest ball handle in the league, but per 100 possessions, his offensive rating has managed to climb in each year.
It might just be a few short years until he climbs his way to the top of the basketball higher-archy and it only stands to help him that each night he teams up with the game’s best: Lebron James.
Brandon Knight – Phoenix Suns
Admittedly, when originally coming up with this idea, Brandon Knight was by no means a player I thought to include. He, too, is in the midst of his 4th year as a pro, but he has never had the same kind of hype or excitement surrounding his game that fellow 2011 Draft Pick and All-Future selection Kyrie Irving had.
Feb 23, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight (3) against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Quite frankly, the most memorable aspects of Brandon Knight’s journey in the NBA thus far came on the unfortunate end of major highlights. While going shot for shot with Kyrie in the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge, Knight got tripped up on his own feet after a serious crossover by Irving (leading to a 3-pointer and an unofficial Kyrie win). Then, later on that year Knight made the terrible decision to try and interrupt a Deandre Jordan alley-oop attempt, what transpired became the bench mark for what it means to posterize someone.
This season though, we’ve seen the genesis of the new Brandon Knight. He lead the charge in Milwaukee for the first half of the season, helping to transform the Bucks from bottom-feeders to a legitimate playoff team. Then, he was brought in by Phoenix via trade to take the place of both Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas. He has put up great numbers on both sides of the ball and whether he opts to remain apart of the future plans of the Suns or bolts to a new home in free agency, he will undoubtably command a lot of money and attention this summer.
Next: Shooting Guards