"Kyrie Irving is better than Jayson Tatum": Isaiah Thomas delivers big statement ahead of 2024 NBA Finals

Former Boston Celtics fan favorite Isaiah Thomas made a significant statement about Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum, a former and a current Celtic, ahead of the 2024 NBA Finals.

In a conversation with Rachel Nichols and DeMarcus Cousins on the Bully Ball podcast, Thomas was asked if he would rank Kyrie Irving ahead of Tatum, after claiming the Dallas Mavericks duo of Irving and Luka Doncic was superior to Boston’s Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

When Nichols inquired if both Thomas and Cousins would place Irving above Tatum, Thomas responded:

"I am... Imma just rock with that."

Thomas also stressed how special the Irving-Doncic pairing was, saying it offers something never before seen in basketball.

“Jayson Tatum and those guys are really good. Jaylen Brown is really good. But Luka and Kyrie are something we haven't seen. And they have the best duo, like they don't just have the best player. I feel like they're the best duo. They just don't have the best team,” he said.

Kyrie Irving, after years with the Cavaliers, was traded to the Celtics in exchange for a package including Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' 2018 first-round pick.

Both Irving and Thomas moved around the league several times before Irving settled in Dallas, while Thomas struggled to secure a spot on an NBA team.

Looking at Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum’s stats

Jayson Tatum averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists on 47.1% shooting in the 74 regular-season games he played.

He was able to maintain this level of performance in the 2024 playoffs, averaging 26.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists on 44.2% shooting.

Kyrie Irving, meanwhile, averaged 25.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 58 regular-season games, with a shooting percentage of 49.7% from the field and 41.1% from 3-point range.

In this year’s playoffs, he has been averaging 22.8 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.

In two games against Tatum and the Celtics in the regular season, Irving averaged 21 points per game. The Celtics won both matchups, with Tatum averaging 35.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists against the Mavericks.

While Tatum leads in individual statistics, Irving brings championship experience and consistent performance in the NBA Finals. He has played in 13 Finals games, averaging 27.7 points, 4.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds.

In his first Finals run, Tatum averaged 21.5 points, 7.0 assists and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 36.7% from the field.