“Kyrie, before Kyrie [Irving]”: Isaiah Thomas’ Former NBA Rival Drops Humble Recognition – EssentiallySports

For some time now, there has been an ongoing debate as to whether NBA players of the past would fit in today. And a certain former NBA player believes that Isaiah Thomas, who dominated the NBA in his prime with the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons in 1980, can replace Kyrie Irving. However, the Kyrie-Isiah comparison is nothing new in the NBA. But why does Thomas’ former rival Derek Harper think Thomas was like that “Kyrie, before Kyrie”?

In a recent interview with Chris Henderson, Harper opened up about his long history with Thomas, revealing that they not only battled in the NBA, but also in their college days. “I went to Illinois, he went to Indiana University. So I raced against him for a long time,” Harper shared. He didn’t hold back in praising Thomas as a player.

” Zeke was amazing. Kyrie, before Kyrie, his handles, could score it, very smart… No one better. You’re starting to talk about all-time great point guards. Isaiah Thomas must come. Two championships in the NBA as well.” he said.

Interestingly, Isaiah Thomas himself noticed Harper’s comments and gave them a nod of approval. Reposting X’s clip, Thomas captioned it: “Big respect to @D_Harp_12 everyone loves Brother.”

But if you ask Thomas who the greatest point guard is, he won’t pick himself. Instead, Thomas has long shown love to Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry. Back in May, he reached out to X to say, “In this era of positionless basketball … Kyrie Irving and Steph Curry … were the best. And the most influential in this position in this era.

While many fans like to compare Kyrie to Steph and Isaiah, Irving himself has a different opinion. While reflecting on Curry, Irving once said, “It’s not a one-on-one battle between me and Steph… He’s won four championships; I have one… I just show respect for guys like that.” However, comparing Irving to Zeke is nothing new.

Isaiah Thomas-Kyrie Irving Comparisons

Over the years, many have speculated how NBA greats of the past would fare in today’s game, but Sam Cassel has no doubts about Isiah Thomas. Last year, Cassel praised Thomas’ play, saying he would still dominate the modern NBA. “If Isaiah played in that era, he’d be twenty-eight, 30 points easy.” Cassell said, adding, “He would be Kyrie Irving. You can’t stop it. You can’t stop Isaiah Thomas, man.

Cassell’s admiration for Thomas dates back to when he started following Thomas during his days at Indiana when they won the 1981 National Championship. “I watched Isaiah in college at Indiana,” Cassell said, recalling the Hoosiers’ win over North Carolina. He also did not hold back his praise, saying: “Right then I thought Isaiah was the best player in the world.”

Interestingly, Kyrie Irving’s former coach Steve Nash also drew a parallel between the two. In an interview with Steve Serby from new york post, Nash explained how Isaiah was his idol growing up and saw similarities in Kyrie’s game. “They’re two guys who were incredibly skilled and creative, and Isaiah was my idol, so I can definitely see the comparisons right away,” Nash said.

Reflecting on his first impression of Kyrie, Nash couldn’t remember the exact moment, but he knew immediately that Kyrie was special. “It was obvious to me what an incredible level of skill he has and an eye for the game,” Nash shared. It’s safe to say that the comparisons between Kyrie and Isiah aren’t going away anytime soon.