Dallas Mavs Training Camp Report: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Good Vibes, Rookie Hype & More
Although the players ultimately have to go out and produce on the court for it to really matter, you can tell a lot about a team from the vibes you get during training camp ... and from what we can tell so far, the Dallas Mavericks have a much different feel to them than they did last season.
The disconnect between Mavs head coach Jason Kidd and Christian Wood, paired with dramatic loss of Jalen Brunson, dampened some of the excitement when training camp opened this time last year. Now, though, the mood has changed dramatically, as the Mavs added several key role players in the offseason to enhance Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's chances of making Dallas a contender once again.
On this special edition of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we discuss all the hot topics that the first two days of training camp had to offer, including Doncic and Irving's encouraging press-conference comments, the ever-growing hype surrounding rookies Dereck Lively II and O-Max Prosper, and much, much more.
"Both rookies, they're great so far," Doncic said. "We played two pickup games, and they were great. The connection between me and Lively — he follows really good, which I was impressed. ... If they work hard, they're going to get minutes, for sure. Jason is going to give them an opportunity, but as I said, they both fight really well from what I saw from them. ... They listen to you and that's all you need."
We also discuss the three-team blockbuster trade from Wednesday that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks to form a star duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and what the aftermath of that move could mean for the Mavs. 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!
