Kyrie Irving has been in the NBA long enough to inspire the next generation of NBA guards. The 9-time NBA All-Star has a style of game that has people considering him one of the most skilled players ever, and a lot of players would love to have his creativity with the ball paired with his shot-making.
Washington Wizards lottery pick Tre Johnson, who played collegiately at Texas, is one of a few players from the 2025 NBA Draft who is using Irving as inspiration as they enter the league.
“I watch bits and pieces of Kyrie [Irving] and Darius Garland, just from a guard’s perspective, how they can change speeds,” Johnson III told Monumental Sports Network back at the Summer League in Las Vegas.
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Tre Johnson arrives before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Johnson was the sixth overall pick in the most recent draft, and while guards can usually take a little while to adjust to the NBA, Johnson has the type of fearlessness that could have some teams regretting that they passed on him.
During the NBA Summer League, which Kyrie Irving was in attendance for as he watched Cooper Flagg’s Mavericks debut, Johnson averaged 19.5 PPG on good efficiency before a hamstring injury ended his brief stint in the desert.
Feb 12, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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The Orlando Magic selected Jase Richardson with the 25th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he chose to wear the number 11. The reason? “Kyrie Irving was one of the players I looked up to as a kid,” he said in his introductory press conference.
What makes that even more incredible is that his father, Jason, played in the NBA for 13 years, including for the Orlando Magic. His father wore No. 23 while in Orlando, which is currently worn by Tristan da Silva, but they might’ve been able to work out a deal for it, knowing his father played for the team.
Richardson is another smaller guard, listed at 6’0″ and 180 pounds, so it’s easy for him to find inspiration in a guard like Irving, who is listed at 6’2″, and he probably isn’t even that tall.
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