Many analysts have soured on Kyrie Irving in the aftermath of a tumultuous few years for the talented yet mercurial point guard. As one would recall, Irving brought plenty of controversy upon himself last season when he shared a film that spewed anti-Semitic views on his Twitter account, and then he didn't exactly end the 2022-23 season on the right note after the Dallas Mavericks ended up missing the postseason despite acquiring the All-Star point guard to pair alongside Luka Doncic.

As a result, ESPN placed the Mavs star at 34th place in the latest NBArank; at 34, Irving placed below the likes of Jalen Brunson, Paolo Banchero, Jrue Holiday, and Brandon Ingram. Those aforementioned players are talented, of course, but in terms of sheer star power and talent, Irving has them beat when he's at his best.

Thus, even new Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams couldn't believe how underrated Kyrie Irving is entering the new season; in fact, Williams is afraid that all the doubt surrounding the Mavs star could end up fueling him to have the best season of his career.

“I've just got to laugh at that. They're gonna start that dude up, man. He's gonna tear some people up this year to prove them wrong,” Williams told Brad Townsend of Dallas Morning News.

Even then, it's no secret what Kyrie Irving can do when he's managing to stay away from off-court troubles. There may be no other player that razzles and dazzles crowds more so than the Mavs star does; his bag of dribbling tricks, not to mention his footwork that enables this level of trickery, as well as his vast arsenal of finishes around the hoop, make him such a devastating offensive weapon.

But these sorts of rankings, such as the ESPN one, take into account the risk that comes with Irving. Beyond his penchant for running into off-court extracurriculars, he's also a risk at any time to suffer an injury; at the moment, he's dealing with a groin issue, which may linger throughout the season.

Monty Williams, however, is right, but perhaps it is for the best; perhaps all the criticism hurled towards Kyrie Irving would help him re-focus and get back to playing at his best.