I find that the basic 3 basketball elements are: shooting, dribling and passing.
Kyrie is one of the best shooters ever of the dribble/in PNR. Maybe the single most valuable skill in the league. It changed the league. It made people guard Curry 30 feet away from the basket like he is under the rim and a 2 time MVP. That is a skill only a couple of guys along with Curry (the best ever/in the group), Kyrie, Lillard, Harden (see 3pt fouls too) and can repeat constantly. IT was in that group just once, last year - he ended up 5th in MVP voting. Kyrie can hit those above the break all day. It includes going 8/8 in a game and that G7 shot.
Shooting verdict: Historically great
Kyrie is IMO the best dribbler of all time. Too many moves for others to process, too fast, the handle is super tight. Some defenders are afraid and some just fold to the side after a couple of bounces.
Handle verdict: Historically great
The 3rd element is passing. He is not the very best here, not in the Rubio, LBJ, Rondo, Simmons, Teodosić tier (those guys can really invent passes as the play is unfolding), but still a very good passer, in the top 10%. He is a creative and willing passer, and as it is with all of his aspects at the offensive end, he gives a little extra flair on those.
Passing verdict: Excellent
Who can match Kyries level in these fundamental skills and was not/is not a Superstar?
There are a few problems with this post.
1. You know there's another side of the court, don't you?
2. Grayson Boucher is historically great at passing, dribbling and good at shooting. He's not even in the NBA. Again, your criteria is a wee bit lacking.
3. Last year there were 17 point guards who averaged more assists. That's not top 10%.
4. Consistent production matters. No matter what someone shows in isolation or in limited moments, a true superstar brings it every period of every game. Kyrie hasn't done that yet.
Give him time before anointing him as the savior. He hasn't even made the journey to Cana yet, never mind turning the water into wine.
Yeah, if a player needed only three skills, and his ranks were “best ever”, “one of the best ever” and “top 10%”, he’d be in Jordan territory.
1. Yea we all know about Kyries defense. The improvement under our system is evident, finally, he is on a team with a defensive culture and is showing signs of steep improvement. I just think that the defensive stance is a less basic basketball skill than shooting or dribbling. I am not diminishing that part of the floor, just that defense always was for physical, generally less skilled players, and requires less training hours than the described 3 skills.
Even if he stays at that "Cleveland" level - Harden? Iverson? Gervin? Barkley? Dominique? just to name a few, these guys weren't superstars?
2. Grayson Boucher - I truly don't know who that is, I googled him and saw he is a basketball "dancer", juggler, entertainer. Let's leave out J.Lo's and Michael Jacksons of the world out of NBA superstar talk. Kyrie is not some mixtape wannabe, he achieved more than Michael Jordan did at his age.
3. Logically flawed. Assists don't necessarily reflect someones ability to pass. It is closer to reflecting players tendencies and usage. Example: Boris Diaw, old Sabonis, Horford, any Gasol family member, Ginobili and even our Smart all are 5 times the passers D.Rose ever was, but none of them ever came to his 7.7 and 7.9 APG. Logically speaking, passing is in a category that is above the assisting. Meaning that you can't make an assist without making a pass, but you can make a pass without achieving an assist.
4. Lebron doesn't even defend until April. This year KD isn't engaged in 1st quarters (the ones I saw), Curry, Harden, Kobe, Shaq... all have/had theirs on/off moments. When someone uses the double standard to make a point, it simply doesn't work.
In my book, this is how Kyrie as a SS plays in the finals:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2016-nba-finals-cavaliers-vs-warriors.htmlAgainst the best defensive team in the league.
Also, just the way he was disassembling our team into basic components in the last years ECF. That's was with an All NBA defender on him.
Guys, you know that the time is on the side of my arguments. And, if I am proven to be correct even further, you will be happier, so better not to use that energy on counter arguing.
BTW, Brad won 8 games in a row for the 1st time in his NBA career. Cheers!