“The game needs him, the game misses him when he was out” - Patrick Beverley says he’s a big fan of former NBA champion, believes he showed his maturity with his recent comments

Patrick Beverley voiced his appreciation for Kyrie Irving after the Nets guard’s recent comments regarding his time in Cleveland.

Beverley explained:

“The game needs him, the game misses him when he was out, and uh, you know, with whatever does, you know, with the NBA, I’m behind it. I’m a big fan of Kyrie. Uh, you know, just the respect he has, the grace and excitement that he brings to the game. There’s no one else does it better than Kyrie.”

Patrick Beverley outlined Kyrie’s thought process showing maturity and went on to add:

“He’s entitled to his opinion, it’s about him … To say that, you know, ‘at 25, 24 years old, I’m not mature enough’, shows his maturity.”

Kyrie Irving voiced his opinion regarding LeBron James and his time in Cleveland. After requesting a trade from the Caveliers in July 2017, what was left of Irving and James’ relationship split entirely.

During a recent interview, Irving voiced his opinion on the matter. Avoiding placing blame on anyone else, Kyrie took responsibility and claimed that he simply was not mature enough at the time.

Reports across the years have claimed that Kyrie was not comfortable sharing the spotlight with LeBron, as making his own name for himself was hard alongside James. However, Irving takes it upon himself to explain the situation as being a fault of his own.

Irving said about himself in Cleveland:

“I didn’t know how to share my emotions.”

Such a task as a young, rising star would be hard in any case. But trying to build your own legacy while playing alongside a player like LeBron James, who will always have the light, is in fact a hard feat. Kyrie’s success in Cleveland was getting slimmed due to having “The King” alongside him to help him win.

Yet, Kyrie managed to weave his name tightly enough into history. Helping LeBron James overcome a 3-1 Finals deficit against the Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors remains to be one of the largest accomplishments in playoff history.

Kyrie Irving may have been second to LeBron, but making such waves alongside James has been remembered. James has played alongside many, many great players across his 19 seasons in the league. For Kyrie and James’ Cleveland tenure to be spoken of as much as it is shows just how impactful Irving really was.

Handling the emotions he has regarding his past shows Kyrie Irving’s maturity, as Patrick Beverley pointed out. Kyrie’s growth both on and off the court will prove valuable to Brooklyn, or whichever squad he is on in the future.

Patrick Beverley has been notably vocal lately with criticism, so if the Timberwolves aggressor is highlighting praise for a player at the moment, they deserve it. Kyrie Irving most definitely does, as one of the most talented players in the league.