NBA All-Stars See Major Threat With Mavs' Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Duo
SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA All-Star Game will be a great display of the newfound star power the Dallas Mavericks have put together in the form of their Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving duo. The Mavs are the only team with a pair of starters in this year's event.
Even though the Mavs are 0-2 in the two games they've played with both superstars, the outcomes came down to late-game situations where the execution just wasn't present. As the two gain on-court chemistry, but most importantly, as the Mavs work toward defensive improvement, the ceiling for what could be achieved is intriguing.
“It’s going to be scary,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said. “They’re two of the best scorers in the game on one team. It’s going to be tough."
Some have speculated if the pairing will work, in general. Julius Randle had no concerns about that. With the highly intelligent understanding of the game that both Doncic and Irving share, results will be achieved on the floor.
“I think it’ll work out great, personally,” Randle said. “Those two guys are skilled basketball players, high IQ, smart basketball players.”
Irving's former co-star, Kevin Durant, has already taken notice of the impressive results that he can achieve with Doncic. In Irving's previous performance, he helped to rally the Mavs back from a 26-point deficit by scoring 26 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“They’re going to be incredible,” Durant said. “You’ve seen it already. They lost (to the Timberwolves), but they were down 26, and in the fourth quarter they both came out there (and showed out).
“Kyrie had 26 in the fourth and Luka was hitting some shots, so it’s going to be like that. (They’re) tough to guard.”
Jrue Holiday, who is one of the NBA's elite defenders, shared some insight on what makes the Mavs' backcourt pairing such a tough matchup. A significant factor to account for is that the opposition's top defender can only guard one player at a time. Who will draw that assignment?
"It's kinda like you have to, you have to choose who you want to guard or who's the strongest one that, I mean, you have two point guards who can give a bucket at any time, can make a play for somebody else at any time," Holiday said.
Holiday expanded: "So, It's kind of like coming down to the stretch. Who are they gonna choose? How do we strategize against that defensive league?
Holiday has guarded Irving a lot throughout his NBA career. There are arguably few players with greater insight into what makes him such a challenging matchup to contain. The combination of skills that makes Irving unpredictable is what makes him such a challenging assignment for even the league's best.
"He's elite at what he does. It's his handles people, his quickness, jab, step three, shoot threes, where like they're unstoppable and then his finishes at the, you can do 'em on both legs," Holiday said of Irving. "He can do em on both hands, so you don't know if he's going to use a floater. You don't know if he's going to hang in the air and throw it off the glass, or he even hits you with a fallaway. So I think he has a complete package."
As far as Doncic is concerned, there was a great explanation from Nikola Jokic regarding why he's such a unique talent. The reigning two-time NBA MVP described Doncic as being "a one-man army" and someone "who can destroy you."
"He's a one-man army. He's the guy who can destroy you." Jokic said of Doncic. "Who can really man manipulate the game the right way. There is no good matchup for him. If he has a smaller guy, he's gonna post him up. If he has a bigger guy, he's gonna go by him. He has a deadly step-back."
Jokic explained further: "He has a really, really, really, big basketball IQ. He has a really good view, seeing the floor really on a different level. Basketball-wise, he's a really, really unique player."
Choosing matchups is far from the only challenge that a defense faces when attempting to defend Doncic and Irving. One point that Domantas Sabonis raised was regarding the complication that arises when attempting to double-team either member of the Mavs' backcourt.
"It's hard, you know, usually, we trap Luka and try and get the ball out of his hands, but right now, he gets it out, and Kyrie has the ball," Sabonis said. "So, you know, they're definitely a lot more difficult to guard."
While Doncic and Irving are two of the most potent isolation scoring threats in the NBA, Tyrese Haliburton expressed confidence in the ability of both players to play without the basketball in their hands. Doncic hasn't had to do it as often in recent years, but his prior experience in his rookie campaign and with Real Madrid should give optimism for his capabilities.
“Obviously those are two of the toughest one-on-one covers in the league, and those two together presents something very, very, very interesting and it’ll be tough for people to figure it out,” Haliburton said. “What’s underrated about those two is I think they both can play off the ball.
Haliburton explained: “Kyrie has done it before. Luka hasn’t had to do it yet, but he’s one of the highest IQ guys in the league, so he’ll figure it out.”
Jaylen Brown, who also used to be teammates with Irving, is intrigued by how Doncic and Irving leverage their advanced understanding of the game as they gain more reps together. If they manage to click, he sees it being something that will be truly fascinating to watch.
“I think the world is going to wait and kind of see how it transpires,” Brown said. “It takes a little bit of time to get some chemistry going. But those two are high level. Kyrie and Luka can put the ball in the basket better than anybody that we’ve seen. To see how they kind of work together and use their mind, it’s going to be fun.”
A similar sentiment was shared by Paul George, who has faced off against Doncic in two playoff series. While it will take some time for them to really achieve a rhythm as the chemistry process unfolds, he likes the overall potential.
“They’re going to be special together," George said. "I know they’re still figuring it out. They got little stuff, like, who gets the last shot or whatnot — they’ve got their little wrinkles to go through. But those two are going to be special together. Elite scorers, elite play-makers, and you know, they’re definitely going to be a team that’s fun to watch.”
There are many NBA players that are intrigued to just see how the Mavs' duo looks as they each gain on-court reps together. Whether it was DeMar DeRozan, Anthony Edwards, or Pascal Siakam, they noted that it'll be fun to watch, but they are ready to compete against them, given the challenges the tandem poses.
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