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NBA Hall-Of-Famer and Timberwolves Legend Shares Praise for Kyrie Irving: ‘Kyrie Walks Around With a Kobe Spirit’
In conversation with Stephen A. Smith, Timberwolves Legend Kevin Garnett had nothing but solid praise for Kyrie Irving, reminding us why the 32-year-old should not be underestimated.
Once alleged to be past his prime, Mavericks Point Guard Kyrie Irving has proven the Naysayers wrong with his realized potential. Since departing the Nets and joining the Mavs in February last year, Irving’s career has witnessed a resurgence and the timing couldn’t have been any better.
In his four seasons with the Nets, Irving had just one series win to show for during the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Needless to say, fans and experts brought into question Irving’s star power and his ability to promote a winning culture. Questions remained about his game and influence even days after the veteran All-NBA talent arrived in Dallas.
But as time has passed, fans have witnessed Irving’s evolution from being just another team member, to a voice of Inspiration within the Mavs locker room. With the 2023-24 season being a resounding success for Irving, experts have been busy giving the former champion his flowers, including the Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett.
Garnett Has Nothing But Praise for Kai
This past week on the Stephen A. Smith show, ‘Bigtime’ Kevin Garnett made a welcome appearance and brought along some interesting takes. When the conversation progressed to Timberwolves vs Mavericks WCF matchup, the 2004 MVP had the following take on Irving:
“Kyrie is another level of offense, another level of knowledge, and another level of one-on-one. Kyrie walks around with a Kobe Spirit, I don’t know if you feel that. If you know what you’re looking at, if you know what you’re looking for, you’ll see a lot of Bean (Bryant’s middle name) in Kyrie right now.”
Garnett continued, saying “he’s calm, he’s confident, he’s leading. He ain’t got a bunch of extra stuff with him. He’s been about basketball, I love his peace”.
When it comes to his greatness, Irving has been a man of few words. However, he’s made sure that his on-court success does the talking for him. With the chance to create history, Irving’s job is only halfway done at this point.
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The Pursuit of Larry O'Brien Trophy
With two series wins in this year’s playoffs, Irving and the Mavericks are focused on finishing their postseason with two more. With the Mavs up 3-0 against the Timberwolves, there is a real possibility that we may witness the NBA Championship back in Dallas since 2011.
Irving has played the best supporting role for the Mavs this postseason, averaging 22.4 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals on 49.2% shooting (As of May 27). His ball control, combined with his peak athleticism and quickness has made him a real asset on offense. Irving has also prioritized sharing the ball when he can so that other members of the roster also get their moment to shine.
Being one of the senior players on the team, the 13-year veteran has also had a positive impact on team morale alongside head coach Jason Kidd. With the kind of momentum the Mavericks currently have, the franchise's future looks encouragingly bright.
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