5. Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving has easily become one of the best players in his short time in the NBA. His explosion in the NBA Finals this past season and throughout the playoffs has turned many heads as Irving asserted his talent.
He only played in 53 games last season due to a knee injury, which combines with his weaker defense and passing ability to hold him below the top four names in these rankings.
While Irving has never been known as a true distributor, though, there are many other assets allow him to perform at a higher level than others.
His scoring ability, ball handling and efficiency are large components of his team performing at such a high level in the most important situations. In a season where he averaged 19.6 points per game, Irving looks to build off of his championship season by progressing even more in his career.
In the playoffs this year, he averaged 25.2 points on 47.5 percent shooting (44 percent from three), three rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game with a 24.4 PER.
Kyrie Irving is the real deal when it comes to evaluating point guards and scorers in general. Especially among talent that is at the NBA’s deepest position.