When ex-Clippers Jamal Crawford spilled the beans on his ball-handling connection with Kyrie Irving

Gone are the days when the NBA was primarily a big man’s league. Today, the need for a skill set is greater than it has ever been. Even the seven-footers of the modern era, be it Victor Wembanyama, Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic, cannot merely rely on playing bully ball.

However, there is always a player or more in every generation to whom these skills come naturally, such as Jamal Crawford and Kyrie Irving. The two magicians with the basketball have a deep bag, making them a walking highlight reel.

While Irving is widely regarded as the GOAT when it comes to handles, one cannot ignore Crawford’s large body of work, having played two decades in the NBA. Therefore, when J-Crossover appeared as a guest on The Pivot Podcast, the crew couldn’t help but ask the Clippers veteran about his comparisons to Uncle Drew.

Jamal Crawford details the nearly identical mindset between him and Kyrie Irving

When asked about the comparisons, the veteran guard took a rather different route, delving into the science behind the handles.

“He’s (Kyrie) the only person I’ve seen or talked to who sees the same things what he’s looking at when he’s dribbling,” said Crawford, breaking his statement down into simpler terms.

“What I mean is ‘My feet, my hands, my mind are all one. So if you guys trap me right now and I had a ball, I would look at a stop, and somehow, somewhere I would get to that stop.”

Nonetheless, J-Crossover has Irving in his top 4 ball handlers of all time, something he told three-time SuperBowl champion Shannon Sharpe during a 2021 episode Club Shay Shay podcast . Others on the list included Isiah Thomas, Jason Williams and Allen Iverson.

Should the Clippers retire Jamal Crawford’s jersey?

Crawford, who played 20 NBA seasons had probably his most successful run with the Clippers, playing in the Lob City era. The former Michigan player won two of his three 6th MOYs in a Clips uniform.

The ball-handling savant had earlier stated that the closest he ever came to winning a title was with the Clippers. It remains to be seen if the veteran guard will have his jersey in the rafters of Intuit Dome, with the likes of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul already in line.

Related: Kawhi Leonard posts most games as a Clipper but sees lowest 2K rating since 2016