National Basketball Association

Charlotte Hornets: Is Kemba Walker Better Than Kyrie Irving?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ point guard, Kyrie Irving, is touted as one of the best players at his position but is Charlotte Hornets’ PG, Kemba Walker, actually better?

Many NBA fans experts claim that Kyrie Irving is a top-tier point guard but much of that is attributed to the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ success. He is very talented and a top-10 player at his position but he is not as good as most believe. In fact, I would argue that Charlotte Hornets‘ point guard, Kemba Walker, is a better player than Irving.

While Kyrie has enjoyed postseason success by becoming an NBA champion last year but that can all be attributed to LeBron James. Irving has never made the playoffs, let alone have a winning season, without the help of LeBron. His dribbling ability and highlight plays overshadow the fact that he is inefficient and usually misses a large chunk of each season.

I’m not saying that Walker could be inserted into Kyrie’s role with the Cavs and be just as good or if they played one-on-one that Kemba would win. All I’m saying is that Irving is great but Kemba Walker is better. Many critics or fans may not agree but the numbers don’t lie.

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Last season, Kemba averaged more points, assists, rebounds, and steals per game while having less turnovers than Kyrie. Walker also shot better from the three-point line as he had career-highs in shooting. Keep in mind that Charlotte relies on their point guard more than the Cavs do on theirs.

The lower numbers for Irving can be attributed to a number of factors. Including, playing alongside LeBron who dominates the ball and puts up godly numbers, having a better team around him that takes more of a load off of him than the Hornets do for Kemba, or even due to the limited minutes/games he played in. It seems like every season Kyrie suffers an injury that keeps him out for long periods. Kemba played in 81 games last year and availability and durability are important factors when ranking/comparing players at any position.

Whatever it may be, Walker had a better individual season based on stats. The real question is if that trend will continue next season and going forward? I think it can because while Irving has been somewhat regressing, Kemba has improved every season and coming off of a career year, he can continue to trend upwards.

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You may think that Kyrie is lightyears ahead of Walker but take a look at the numbers and you’ll be surprised.

Comparison:

Kemba Walker – 20.9 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.4 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 2.1 TOV, 35.6 MPG, 81 Games, 42.7% FG/ 37.1% 3P/ 84.7% FT

Kyrie Irving – 19.6 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 2.3 TOV, 31.5 MPG, 53 Games, 44.8% FG/ 32.1% 3P/ 88.5% FT

While Walker and Irving aren’t quite on the levels of Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, or Russell Westbrook, they are still great players in their own rights. They each have their own styles of play that helps their teams win but Kemba is the Hornets’ star while Kyrie is a supporting player alongside LeBron James. That may be why his numbers are higher but it also speaks to the fact that he has to carry his team more and he has done a great job of that as he led Charlotte to a 48 win season and a playoff appearance.

This argument may not be over just yet and it will be interesting to see who has the better season in 2016-17. Maybe it is more of preference or opinion and not just naming the better player. Kemba Walker is a great player for the Charlotte Hornets and people (fans, media, critics) need to take notice. In my opinion. Kemba is better than Kyrie but Irving is a skilled player who has less of a load to carry for his team.

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