Mavericks Stars Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Among Most Exciting Players of 2023?
The Dallas Mavericks must value every game that remains in the regular season as their postseason hopes continue to shrink. Win or loss, fans of the NBA have valued every moment that Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have graced the hardwood, leading them to be recognized for their stellar play.
The Ringer published a list of their NBA League Pass Value Player Rankings predicated on the most entertaining players on a nightly basis, featuring both Dallas phenoms. They had this to say about Doncic, who ranked No. 8:
"LeBron says he’s his favorite player. “It’s the mind.” It’s appropriate. Luka’s the LeBron of his era. A prodigy who hit right away. Gigantic, cerebral, skilled, and smarter than everybody else. Only difference is Doncic embraced his inner villain almost instantly. Sometimes he plays offense like he’s pulling a prank. Something very mwahahaha about him. The in-game look vacillates between demented killer and kid going HAM in Candyopolis. When you read this, he will probably lead the league in scoring. If not, he’ll be second. Doncic puts his team on his back like Greg Jennings and still finds time to innovate in the passing game. Look at this shit."
Doncic certainly carries a mischievous allure when on the floor. While he controls his pace and leans towards cruise control, Doncic wows with impressive ball fakes, footwork and long three-pointers.
His career-high 32.9 points per game come in a variety of ways and his 8.2 assists per night feature no-look dimes and run-inciting ball movement that translate to Mavericks wins.
Irving rounded out the list at No. 25. The 2023 All-Star carries a reputation for owning the best dribble moves in the history of the league. He's borrowed off of maestros such as Bob Cousy, Pete Maravich, Isiah Thomas and Allen Iverson and controls the ball on a string, leaving defenders perplexed.
A showstopper in his own right, Irving usually does just that -- stop the show. He ranks No. 17 in the NBA with 3.5 clutch points per game and his 41 percent three-point shooting with the Mavs has already seen the former champion take over games down the stretch, pulling up from the top of the key with all confidence.
Doncic and Irving have championship expectations and are striving to pile on highlight-worthy plays that are remembered in winning fashion. Unfortunately for Dallas, though, the latter part of that hasn't materialized just yet.
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