“Sometimes, I’m speaking a different language” - Kyrie Irving says he feels like a master at basketball, says he’s teaching himself
Kyrie Irving had spectacular moments for the Brooklyn Nets this season despite missing the majority of games and getting swept in the NBA Playoffs. He believes he is a basketball master.
Over his career, Irving has had flashes of absolute brilliance, including a 39-point, six-assist, five-rebound and four-assist effort in Game 1 of Brooklyn's series against the Boston Celtics.
After a tumultuous season, Irving talked about basketball, life and the past two years on "The ETCs with Kevin Durant" podcast.
THE @KYRIEIRVING VOCALS ARE IN…
#TheETCs 🤲🏽 twitter.com/bansky/status/… https://t.co/hW1D64IXVN
Irving said he understands the game on a different level:
"I've had to understand that sometimes I'm speaking a different language when I'm explaining these things to people, you know. I try to bring them up to speed. That's where I feel like I'm at in the long list of masters who have come before me.
"Still being a student and still learning how to teach in a way where I'm teaching myself, and it's therapy."
Irving also touched on how he felt about the state of his game:
"Now, you know that it's a different feeling for me now. So, I will say, 'No, I don't feel like I've mastered (it) yet.' Do I feel like I am a master? Yes, but I would like to talk about that more as I retire from this and I can just freely express."
Legacy is challenging for any player to assess until their career is over, so it is fair for Irving to say he can't express himself until he retires.
Kyrie Irving explains that he feels more like a teacher than a master
Kyrie Irving views himself more as a teacher.
"You can call me a master, but I myself would probably just call myself a teacher of the game at this point. You know what I mean? Like I put in enough hours to call myself a master, but I choose not to, because I just like remaining a student. You know, I like making mistakes. I like figuring out new things and new ways to motivate myself."
Irving is a student of the game, learning new skills from himself, which has paid dividends, according to some basketball legends.
Tracy McGrady says Kyrie & Kevin Durant are more skilled than LeBron and D-Wade & Jordan and Pippen 👀
"LeBron and D-Wade, skill-wise, are not touching KD and Kyrie." https://t.co/vgqzWBa2VL
If the most skilled player in basketball's most skilled duo can continue learning new skills and improving, he could continue to become better.