3. Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets
2018-19 stats: 23.8 ppg, 6.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds
Despite all the animosity surrounding the Boston Celtics last season, Kyrie Irving still managed to put together a good year. Now he’s in Brooklyn, where he will join Kevin Durant, once he’s back from a torn Achilles, in hopes to take the Nets deep into the playoffs, something he couldn’t manage to do – for a number of reasons – with the Celtics.
Kyrie is known as a selfish player at times, but there is no questioning his ability to impact the game in so many ways. He loves to shoot the 3, but he’s also athletic and agile enough to get to the hoop in a hurry and finish.
You could make the argument that, somehow, Kyrie is even a better finisher than he is at hitting the 3-ball. The big knock on Kyrie early in his career has been whether or not he can be a No. 1 player on a really good team. So far that hasn’t been proven, but that hasn’t kept him from winning big in the NBA.
Irving’s career 22.2 points per game and 40 percent from downtown clip are a prime example of why he is at the top end of this list as one of the best point guards in the NBA today.