Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis recently said that Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving is probably the toughest player he’s had to guard. Ellis, 24, went undrafted at the 2022 NBA Draft out of Florida SouthWestern and Alabama but signed a two-way contract with the Kings to play in Sacramento and Stockton on July 2, 2022.
Irving, 32, has been a member of the Dallas Mavericks since 2023. Irving’s stint in Dallas began shortly after the Brooklyn Nets traded him, along with Markieff Morris, to the Mavericks for Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and two second-round picks in 2027 and 2029, respectively. Ellis’ recent comments about Irving are food for thought in basketball. Read on for further details.
Keon Ellis’ Comments About Kyrie Irving
Keon Ellis was asked on “The Deuce & Mo Podcast” who was the toughest player he’s had to guard in his NBA career so far.
According to Sports Illustrated, Ellis responded, “Kyrie Irving is probably the toughest to guard … Because for me, I am the most worried about guarding guys who can shoot it from deep. If you can shoot the 3 at a high clip, it’s like, damn, because now I have to press up and I can’t use my wingspan.”
Ellis’ response made sense, as Irving is an NBA player who can shoot from deep while shooting three-pointers.
Keon Ellis’ Perspective on Kyrie Irving
Keon Ellis’ recent comments showed a new perspective on Kyrie Irving.
According to Sports Illustrated, Ellis said, “He can shoot it from three, but he can also get to his spot in the mid-range. He’ll do something that you ain’t ever seen. You’ll think you have him, and he’ll just throw something up with the left hand, and it’ll hit nothing but net. His handles are just so tight that he knows what he’s doing, he knows how to get to his spots. I almost stole it from him one time — almost.
He hit a crossover, and I plucked it and it might’ve went out of bounds, but he thought I kicked it. He was like, ‘You kicked it?’ I was like ‘Nah, I almost stole that one.’ If I would’ve stole that one, that would’ve been a core memory for me.”
Ellis’ comments show a perspective, as Irving’s handles are arguably really right and Ellis seemed to wish he had stolen some crossovers from him.
Kyrie Irving’s Success in 2023-24
Kyrie Irving’s success in the 2023-24 NBA season was a bounce-back story after he suffered several injuries that season, including but not limited to, his back, foot, and heel.
Irving played his first full season in 2023-24 and proved the critics wrong with a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals — his fourth Finals appearance — and finished the regular season just shy of his 50-40-90 season in 2021. He had a 49.7% field goal percentage, only 0.3% short of the mark, along with 41.1% three-point and 90.5% free throw percentages, respectively.
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