Cleveland Cavaliers

Celtics' Isaiah Thomas ranks Kyrie Irving among league's best ball handlers

Published Sep. 22, 2015 2:17 p.m. ET

foxsports

It's no secret that Kyrie Irving is among the players with the game's best handles. Entire YouTube compilations have been dedicated to this fact, and he reminds us of it on essentially a nightly basis.

But when the recognition comes from those Irving competes against, that's a much more meaningful level of respect.

Isaiah Thomas of the Celtics paid tribute to Irving recently, when he included the Cavaliers point guard in a ranking of the league's top five ball handlers.

(h/t: The Players' Tribune)

Kyrie lives laterally. He goes side to side at such a high level it’s hard for defenders to keep up. He’s right in front of you, then he’s not, and it all starts with the crossover. It’s the same move every point guard has in his arsenal.

His is just better.

Don’t get me wrong, he has a lot of other moves, too. He’s kind of like Jamal Crawford in that you never really know what he’s gonna pull out. But when it comes to being in isolation, if you’re guarding him, you can count on seeing that crossover more than a few times. It’s his bread and butter.

Throw in the fact that he can shoot at a high level or finish at the basket as good as anybody, and you’re definitely ending up in a highlight reel when you’re guarding Kyrie, because you will get crossed.

Good luck.