5 scariest players in the NBA to defend

3. Kyrie Irving – Cleveland Cavaliers

The scariest things in life tend to be those that you don’t see coming. Although many people like surprises, it’s the good surprises they appreciate. The type of surprise Kyrie Irving gave the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals was closer to a nightmare. In particular, Stephen Curry must be having reoccurring nightmares about what Irving did to him during those contests. Let’s take a look at what makes “The Ankletaker” so scary to defend.

Everyone knows Curry is the greatest and most prolific shooter we’ve ever seen. However, Kyrie’s shooting ability is right up there with the best of them. His career field goal and 3-point percentages may not indicate that, but Irving tends to make many of his shots in bunches. Additionally, he seems to do it during critical stretches in very important games such as the finals. It makes him an extremely dangerous offensive threat.

Kyrie’s quickness and athletic ability also make him a dangerous player. However, the aspect of his game that can literally cause sleepless nights is his outstanding dribbling. When Irving begins to break a defender down with his dribble, it literally looks like the ball is on a string that he has full control of. He has a variety of crossovers, head fakes and spin moves that can make anyone dizzy when guarding him. This was on full display during the finals as he appeared to be dancing all over the Warriors. On one particular play, Irving made Curry spin like a top while looking lost trying to guard him. When a player has a deadly shot and has no problem making someone look foolish, it’s a scary combination that no one wants to be a part of.

Irving is arguably the best ball handler in the league. He also has that rare killer instinct to take over a game and make many of his shots in an offensive flurry. Along with his quickness and underrated athleticism, Irving is easily in the top three when it comes to scariest players to defend.