The 50 greatest NBA players of the 2020s (so far), ranked

22) Kyrie Irving

Despite being one of the most talented players in the NBA, Kyrie Irving ranks 22nd on this list. This despite him posting 26.7 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds in 221 games. Those are strong numbers, but he has only averaged 44 games a season over the last 5 years; that is only slightly better than Kawhi Leonard, who often gets criticized for missing games.

Some of Irving's missed time was a result of off-the-court controversies, which brought down his value, though when he was actually on the court, he was impressive, to say the least. He is widely considered to have the best handles in the NBA and is one of the more crafty finishers.

After wearing out his welcome in Brooklyn, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he was paired with Luka Doncic. That proved to be a winning combination, with them leading Dallas to the NBA Finals. With a better roster around them, they can get back and possibly even win it all in the next couple of seasons, which would help Irving significantly considering that he has underachieved.

He has only three all-star appearances and no All-NBA selections, even though he is one of the most talented players in the NBA. By the end of the decade, he'll be 36 and will likely decline significantly by then, but if he can just string together two or three more good seasons, it would help salvage a disappointing start to the 2020s for Irving.