LISTEN: Mavs Training Camp Preview; Luka & Kyrie Redemption Tour?
After having a long, eventful offseason, the Dallas Mavericks are preparing to ramp things up again with training camp just a little over one week away.
The Mavs missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season, and many people are skeptical of how good Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving can be together going forward — at least from a win/loss column perspective.
Sure, Doncic and Irving’s offensive numbers will be off the charts, but will the Dallas’ roster retooling around the star duo be enough to form a contending defense to go along with it? Are the Mavs actually being underrated at this point?
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On today’s episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, my DallasBasketball.com colleague Grant Afseth joins the show to talk about how Doncic and Irving could be poised for a redemption tour during the 2023-24 NBA season. The Mavs didn’t live up to most expectations after trading for Irving last season, but there are several nuances that must be considered when evaluating the team’s failures, and Irving certainly was not one of the issues.
Also in this episode, we talk about Afseth’s experience covering the FIBA World Cup up close and in person for DallasBasketball.com. During those talks, the discussion then slips into Team USA’s shortcomings and the biggest reasons for them. Somewhere down the line, could Mavs rookie Dereck Lively II, who is being mentored by gold-medalist Tyson Chandler, end up being Team USA’s ideal defensive anchor?
All of that and more, including a more detailed look at Lively and Olivier-Maxence Prosper heading into Mavs training camp, is discussed in the full episode below. As always, thanks for tuning in, and be sure to hit that subscribe button on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts.
