Warriors' Draymond Green: Kyrie Irving Is the Scorer People Think Kevin Durant Is

The buzz from Kyrie Irving's game-winning left-handed skyhook against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday is still a major talking point across the NBA, including from Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.

On the latest episode of his podcast, Green said that Irving is the "scorer that the world thinks" Kevin Durant is.

Before he made that statement, Green did point out that people were going to take it to be "what it's not" and "it's actually a compliment" toward Irving rather than a dig at Durant.

Irving won the game for the Dallas Mavericks with an absurd hook shot over Nikola Jokić at the buzzer.

Green explained his point by saying there are things that defenders can do at times to make things a little difficult for Durant by "press up" into his body to force him out of his rhythm.

But with Irving, according to Green, opponents "can't do anything to make it hard on him" because he's "one of the best three-point shooters," owns "arguably" the best mid-range game and is "arguably the best finisher in the NBA."

When you consider the difference in size between Irving and Durant, it's hard to disagree with what Green is saying.

Durant's ability to score stems largely from the fact he's 6'10" with a wingspan just under 7'5". He's just taller with longer limbs and the shooting ability to get higher than most of the players who defend him.

Irving is a 6'3" point guard and his wingspan is right around the same length. The eight-time All-Star just has a preternatural ability to get the ball in the basket. His skill is amazing even to his peers.

Beyond the compliment from Green, Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard called Irving the "most skilled mf ever" after the game-winning shot against the Nuggets.

Irving, while he was playing on the same team with LeBron James, hit the most important shot in the history of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals against Golden State.

Irving has shot at least 40 percent from three-point range seven seasons in his career, including this season with the Mavericks. He's averaged 25.6 points per game in 408 starts since 2017-18.

Sunday's game-winner was also a huge moment for the Mavericks. It moved them into a tie with Durant and the Phoenix Suns for seventh place in the Western Conference standings. They are three games up in the loss column on the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors to avoid the 9-10 matchup in the play-in tournament with 14 games remaining.