Kyrie Irving, the star guard for the Dallas Mavericks, is widely considered one of the best ball handlers of all time. The 32-year-old, who recently shocked fans with a major announcement, has been a crucial part of the Mavericks’ success in the 2023-24 NBA season.

Alongside the superstar Luka Doncic, Irving displayed stellar skills that led his team to the NBA finals in the recent season. However, the dynamic duo failed to clinch the title as they lost to the Boston Celtics in the finals. Nevertheless, Irving is still praised for his remarkable skills on the court.

In a recent episode of the Club 520 podcast, Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard expressed high praise for Kyrie Irving. The 34-year-old explained why he believes Irving is the toughest opponent for a 1v1 matchup in the NBA.

“1-on-1, Kyrie a tough matchup. He’s just a tough matchup. You can guard him perfectly, & he’ll still make it. Either hand, bumping him, he does it when it don’t look like it’s hard to. Sometimes people do it and they make it look smooth, all net, you’re like, ‘Damn.’ That can turn into him making every shot.” Lillard said during a recent appearance on the Club 520 podcast.

Irving consistently delivered dominating performances for the Mavericks, including a season-high 48 points in a 147–136 overtime victory against the Houston Rockets on April 7. However, a former NBA player has an opposing view to Damian Lillard’s remark.

Gilbert Arenas Has an Opposing View to Damian Lillard’s Remark for Irving

Gilbert Arenas, a former NBA player, disputes the notion that Irving is unguardable and instead draws a comparison between Irving and Allen Iverson, who played 14 seasons in the NBA. During a recent episode of Gil’s Arena show, host Arenas said that Irving needs to make several moves to make a shot, whereas Iverson only needs to make one because of his quick play style.

“When people talk about Kyrie being unguardable, Kyrie is a snail compared to Allen Iverson. Think about how many combo moves Kyrie has to do to get by somebody. Allen Iverson does [one move] and he’s gone.” Arenas said.

According to StatMuse, Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 58 games during the 2023-24 season. The next NBA season will start in just two months, and it will be fascinating to observe Irving’s performance with the Mavericks.