Kyrie Irving: Why Rookie Sensation Will Be Best No. 1 Pick of the Last 5 Years

Coming into the 2011-12 season, many debated on whether or not the Cleveland Cavaliers made a mistake by selecting Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

After all, Irving played only a mere 11 college games, and the Cavaliers had many more pressing needs to fill as well.

It's early on in his career, but through his first 20 games of his NBA career, Irving has answered all of the critics coming into the season.

He's also made a statement that he could end up being the best No.1 overall pick in the last five years.

That's a bold statement to make considering Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin and John Wall were the last three No. 1 overall picks before Irving (Greg Oden was the top pick in 2007).

But at the end of day, it could be Irving that ends up being the best of the group.

Here's a quick look at a few reasons why.

Shooting Ability

Most of these comparisons are going to be between Irving and the other two point guards.

That's no knock on Griffin, who's great in his own right, but most people consider Rose to be the better player not only now but in the future as well. It's also very tough to compare point guards to power forwards, but we will get to those two later.

The first comparison is the shooting ability. Irving already has the edge there.

Rose has improved a great deal as a shooter, but he's nowhere near as good as Irving who is just going to get better as his career evolves.

Irving has knocked down over 41 percent of his shots from behind the arc while Rose has made barely over 30 percent throughout his now four-year NBA career that includes a 22 percent effort on the long-range shot during his rookie year and 26 percent effort the following year.

Looking at Wall, he's a much worse shooter than even Rose. During his two years in the league, Wall has knocked down only 27 percent of his attempts, including a mere nine percent this season in which he's not shooting the ball much.

Irving's range on his shot gives him the edge over both guys.

Efficiency

Irving rarely takes bad shots.

He's comfortable running an offense, and when he needs to call his own number, he knocks down shots on a successful rate.

The rookie has a field goal percentage of .511. By comparison, Rose has a field goal percentage of .459 and averages only four more shot attempts per night.

Wall is no comparison, sporting a .384 field goal percentage.

Looking at Griffin, who gets more shots around the rim, he has the identical .511 field goal percentage for his career that Irving does so far this season.

Style of Play

Irving is more of a pure point guard that makes plays for his teammates and calls his own number when need be.

He's a high-efficiency point guard who can score, facilitate and drive with either hand. If you watch him, he has a little Chris Paul in his game.

Irving's game is much different than that of Rose.

Rose is more of a slasher, and he's great at it, but those type of players get banged up at times, and that style of play sometimes doesn't lead to extra long careers.

But Irving has success at getting to the bucket as well when he has to. He excels at keeping opposing defenders off balance.

Better Debut Season

Irving's rookie year rivals that of Rose and Wall.

His numbers are better almost across the board even though his assists total trails that of Rose during his rookie season, and that's something that will surely rise throughout this season and in the future.

While he's having a great rookie season, it doesn't rival that of Griffin's who was the only player in the NBA last season to boast averages of over 22 points, 12 rebounds and three assists per game.

Defense

Irving has a big body and will become one of the better defensive guards in the NBA in time.

In comparison, Rose has the ability to be a great defender and will probably get there in time. He's already made a great improvement from his rookie season.

As rebounders, Rose and Irving are probably equals.

It's Wall that should be the best of the three on the defensive end down the road. Once he stops ball watching too much, he has a natural ability on the defensive end.

Irving though won't be far behind him.

Natural Point Guard

Irving looks like a veteran.

He takes care of the ball, gets the Cavs into their offense in an efficient manor and makes smart decisions with the basketball.

Irving rarely makes mistakes.

We can say the same thing about Rose as well, but consider the fact that Irving has played only 20 NBA games and only 31 total games after high school.

He's only going to get better as a floor general and a complete player.

Winning

When it comes to winning, there's no comparing any recent No. 1 pick to Rose. He has turned the lowly Bulls into legitimate championship contenders.

But looking at Irving, his presence alone have made the Cavs competitive.

Where will he have this team in five years?

Winning will ultimately be the deciding factor on who's the best No. 1 overall pick in recent memory.

Once Irving gets some talent around him, we will be able to tell more.

I'm not saying by any imagination that Irving is better then rose right now, but down the road, he certainly could be.

He's got as much talent and does some things on the court much better right now.

Remember that he's only 19 years old and is just going to get better.

Five years from now though, I believe we will be able to say that Irving could be the best of the last five No. 1 overall draft picks.