Jeff Teague isn’t shy about the kind of ceiling he believes Kyrie Irving could have reached with a different frame.
On a recent episode of the Club 520 Podcast, the former Celtic and NBA All-Star laid out a bold theory about Irving, saying, "If Kyrie Irving was 6-6...he would have been the best NBA player ever. He would have been better than Michael Jordan."
Teague didn’t stop there. He backed up the claim by pointing to Irving’s all-around skill set and his comfort in big moments: “It’s nothing he can’t do.
Bro, what could he not do? What can he not do, bro?
Name me something he can’t do. He’s not scared of the moment, if he was 6’6”, there's no weakness in his game," (via NBA Courtside).
Irving is listed at 6-2, so Teague’s argument hinges on a simple change: give him four more inches and the whole conversation changes.
It’s the kind of hypothetical that gets people talking because Irving’s talent is never really in question. Injuries and other factors may have kept his resume from fully reflecting his ability, but anyone who has watched him knows how special he can be.
Still, the leap from Irving to Jordan is a massive one. Jordan’s greatness was built on more than scoring touch and clutch shot-making, and size alone doesn’t rewrite that entire story.
The comparison does bring one thing into focus, though: Irving and Jordan both have the kind of confidence that shows up when the game gets tight. That part of Teague’s point makes sense. The rest is where the debate gets loud.
Irving isn’t the only player who gets pulled into these “what if he were taller” conversations, either. Steph Curry has been part of that discussion plenty of times as well.
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