Welcome to the KAI Report - the deepest study of Kyrie Irving’s skill-sets ever performed. We tracked 10 consecutive games, 649 possessions, and reported every skill used. Amazingly, Kyrie Irving performed 176 unique skills in just 10 games.
Each possession, every dribble, every step, and every technique was tracked and reported, allowing us to better understand the skills and techniques used by the world's most skilled basketball player.
Jump Stops vs 1-2 Stops
For this episode, we might be entering some controversy. This is where the preferences of many run into the real data of a player like Kyrie Irving. It's no secret that Jump Stop footwork is heavily emphasized and many times favored as the primary taught footwork by coaches and programs around the world.
But what is our responsibility when we discover that one of the most skilled basketball players the game has ever seen, uses those skills primarily with 1-2 style stops?
Consider the numbers below, as you watch the video:
Total Jump Stops: 25
Total Speed Stops: 118 (46% of stops)
Total 1-2 Stops: 224 (87.5% of stops)
A 1-2 Stop is a broad category of all types of stops that use a rhythm of one foot followed by the other. This footwork allows for players to stop during any step without breaking stride, whether stopping first with their inside foot or their outside foot. This is the reason why a skilled player like Kyrie can play with the freedom and creativity he can.
You can never tell when he's going to stop because he can stop at any moment.
A Jump Stop, however, while still a useful footwork (after all, Kyrie still used it 25 times), is much more predictable. Because a Jump Stop starts with a skip and then lands on two feet, defenders can tell when a jump stop is about to occur and also when it's occurring.
All in all, if a player wants to be creative and wants to utilize skills and play with freedom, a variety of 1-2 stops is key. Players who conform to using Jump Stops alone will more than likely never move out of the role player category. And maybe that's the point for some coaches and programs...to predict and control.
For players, however, the data seems to be showing that the 1-2 stop is crucial. Specifically, the Speed Stop itself is key, which we will discuss in detail...next.