Mavericks have questionable road as Kyrie Irving sits on sidelines

The Dallas Mavericks are trying to pick up the pieces with Kyrie Irving on the sidelines for the first few months of the season.

Irving tore his ACL back in March, resulting in a recovery that will bleed into the upcoming season. NBA.com writer Brian Martin questions how far the Mavs can go without Irving on the floor.

"When the Mavs made the blockbuster deal to acquire [Anthony] Davis last season, the idea was to pair him with Irving to form a dominant guard-forward tandem. However, they played only one game and a total of 25 minutes together before Davis was sidelined with an adductor injury. Before Davis could return to action, Irving was lost for the season with a torn ACL, which will likely cost him much of this season as well," Martin wrote.

"While that star duo pairing has been delayed, the Mavs taking [Cooper] Flagg in the draft opens a new potential star duo in Dallas with Davis and Flagg forming a formidable forward tandem. The addition of [D'Angelo] Russell will help fill the void left by Irving, but the Mavs lack backcourt depth, which could come into play if injuries strike again this season."

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving drives to the basket as Milwaukee Bucks forward Taurean Prince defends. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Mavs take brutal loss without Irving

The Mavs are hoping to cushion the blow with veteran point guard D'Angelo Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Russell is a shell of who Irving is as a player, but he can still fill in the gaps in the interim. If Russell can fit into Jason Kidd's offense and complement Flagg and Davis, the Mavs could be in a rhythm similar to where they are with Irving.

The Western Conference is expected to be a bloodbath this season, so the Mavs might hover around the middle of the pack without Irving, but the hope for Dallas is to have enough of a chance to wiggle back into the playoff picture when Kyrie is back.

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