Kyrie Irving Raves About John Wall, Reminisces Their Draft Times
Mavericks franchise star Kyrie Irving gave his peer and former rival John Wall heady praise on a Twitch stream.

John Wall, Kyrie Irving (Images via IG)
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The NBA landscape of today is quite different from any of the other eras that were played before. There is more athleticism, 3-point shooting and positional interchange today than ever before. This has caused a dip in the profile of point guards drafted to the league. The likes of Kyrie Irving and John Wall, who went no. 1 overall in consecutive years, would probably not draw the same kind of attention in today’s draft era.
John Wall was hyped up as a surefire no. 1 overall pick from the start of his junior year of high school. His high school mixtape was the stuff of legends, showing off his world-class pace, athleticism and skill. Wall jumped off the screen when pitted against high schoolers and continued to do so in his year at Kentucky. A year with John Calipari prepared him for the excruciating test of NBA readiness and built his profile.
Kyrie Irving was not recruited as heavily as Wall, but he was also a clear-cut No. 1 pick at St. Patrick High School. He wowed scouts and high school basketball fans with his handles, his reading of the game and his shooting. Although he was almost as quick as Wall, his athleticism was only a secondary aspect of his appeal. Irving also proved himself as a surefire no. 1 pick over two months of playing for the Blue Devils.
Since that year, the only two guards to be drafted no. 1 overall are Markelle Fultz and Anthony Edwards. Both of these players are viewed more as pure scorers and combo guards than as playmakers. The rest of the no. 1 picks in this timeframe have either been hyper-athletic wings like Andrew Wiggins and Zion Williamson or elite big man prospects like Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and Victor Wembanyama.
Kyrie Irving was live on Twitch for one of his regular streams on Friday night. Speaking to his fans, the 33-year-old lavished praise upon his former Wizards rival:
For us to go back-to-back as point guards in the NBA? That was generational. I don’t think it’ll ever be a run like that again of two point guards going back-to-back No. 1 picks in the best league in the world. So, I definitely gotta give him his flowers, man. So many great matchups against him. So many great moments of just us being ultra competitive because we knew our towns, the hood back at home was talking like, who is better between us two. It made me who I am today. It helped shape my competitive drive.
A different time 🥲 pic.twitter.com/XhFke1n9D0
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 5, 2025
Why are guards like Kyrie Irving, John Wall devalued by draft scouts?
One of the reasons why guards are devalued in recruiters’ rankings, as Kevin Durant explained to LeBron James on a recent Mind the Game episode, is that they are defensive liabilities for the most part. Smaller guards almost always get switched on to bigger wings, power forwards and centers in the playoffs to fetch easier buckets.

Having said that, this doesn’t devalue what these smaller guards provide to the game. Players like TJ McConnell often go under the radar because of their physiques, but they also provide changes of pace that 6’3″ point guards usually can’t.
The likes of John Wall, Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose have redefined the athletic point guard mould in recent years. They have paved the way for the likes of Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards to flourish despite the increased emphasis on shooting. If a guard is athletic enough and able to get offense against NBA-level defenders, he can still be recruited highly – even as a no. 1 overall pick.
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