Kyrie Irving is back like he never left, and this time it was against his former team, the Brooklyn Nets, with whom he had a bitter ending last season. After weeks of being sidelined, the Dallas Mavericks star joined Luka Doncic once again to defeat the Nets by an easy margin. Getting back to his unstoppable layup package, Irving dropped 36 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds, alongside Doncic’s 35-point near triple-double. This incredible duo got their flowers from Jamal Crawford, who emphasized Irving’s performance.

Crawford exclaimed, “Kyrie is interested, and he is one of the best players in one-on-one history because you’re not worried about stopping him; you just don’t wanna get embarrassed… He is one of the most fun players to ever watch.” He also believes the defenders would be happy even if Kyrie Irving scored a jumper or a floater over them. It is fine as long as he doesn’t drop them in court. 

While the 3-time 6MOTY and another lead reporter believe Kyrie Irving has the best layup package in NBA history, Shaquille O’Neal has someone else on his mind. The L.A. champion said, “Rod Strickland,” who is considered Irving’s godfather. The former Washington Wizards point guard, also known as ‘Hot Rod, was the first to stun the world with impeccable finishes. Many would say Rod Strickland walked, so Kyrie Irving could run. That is how good of a finisher Strickland was, who is now the head coach of Long Island University.

Rod Strickland played a huge part in bringing the creative side to Kyrie Irving

Irving is world famous for his creative layup package and that is one thing he learnt from his god father Strickland. The Mavericks star is creative in his thinking too and this a reason why the former Wizards star believes he is an easy target for many. But that unique thinking is the reason why he is the best in business today.

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When asked about Irving, Strickland shared, “Kyrie’s different. You can just watch him play basketball and tell that he’s different. He thinks different, you know? You can’t do the things he does on the court without being creative, so his mind is different.“ What’s noteworthy here is that the 57-year-old accepts Irving for who he is. This is something that the 2016 champion needed, in order to be one of the best ball handlers today.

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