Exclusive: Dallas Mavs' Kyrie Irving Speaks on Foot Injury, Luka Doncic & More - ‘We Have a Special Team’
DALLAS — Before the Dallas Mavericks' matchup against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Kyrie Irving was ruled out for the second consecutive game due to a left foot sprain.
How is Irving's injury currently?: “Better," Irving told DallasBasketball.com.
Irving dealt with a groin injury in preseason that sidelined him from the team's final two games, and he’s now dealing with a left foot injury. He remains focused, though, working diligently with the Mavs’ training staff to recover fully and maintain his conditioning before returning to play.
"[I’m] doing everything possible to be smart about where my body is," Irving said. "Just taking the necessary steps with our training staff to ensure I stay in shape. One of the worst things is to deal with injuries in preseason, but it's all part of the game. You don't want an injury to carry over into the longevity of the season."
There is a lot that goes into the typical gameday preparation process for Irving when he is available to play. Even when he's sidelined, he takes his responsibilities seriously, focusing on looking internally at his own game and making sure he adds to the group at large by being a good teammate.
"The job doesn't stop; it even ramps up [when injured]," Irving said. "You get to focus on the little nuances of your game, your mental sharpness, and how connected you are to the group still and just making sure you're being a good teammate. So it ramps up, but nobody wants to be on the sideline with anything. Just take it one day at a time and be smart."
Dallas Mavs superstar Kyrie Irving dribbles the ball up the court.
Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports
When sidelined with an injury, the main focus for Irving naturally shifts to continuing to rehab, but there's an even greater emphasis placed on studying film. When reviewing both his performance and the team's execution, the 13th-year veteran is encouraged by how the team manages to put up a high volume of points, but he especially appreciates the progression he sees in late-game execution in close games.
"Yeah, for sure," Irving said about increasing film study when injured. "It's always good to watch, too. We have a really special team this year, putting up a lot of points, and we're doing the necessary things to get wins in close, tight-knit games. When you see that take place, you know guys are growing.”
Irving has observed the Mavs getting comfortable with their roles, and he also sees a natural chemistry building throughout the roster. As a result, trust is being built as well.
"Even when I'm off the court, you see guys grow into their roles," Irving said. "We're developing that chemistry we talk about, and that trust."
When discussing some of the new elements to the Mavs' roster and how they've faired early in the season, Irving remains confident in how the defense will continue to improve as new additions like Grant Williams, Dereck Lively II, and Derrick Jones Jr. build familiarity with schemes and gain chemistry through on-court reps.
"I think the numbers will continue to improve throughout the season," Irving said. "It's been good having an anchor like [Grant Williams] on your back line who can cover up for many mistakes, you know. Same thing with Dereck Lively II or Derrick Jones Jr. We have guys that can guard, want to guard, want to stop the opposing players, and it makes my job a lot easier to go out there and just perform and focus on the other skills of the game that make me great."
Luka Doncic is off to an incredible start, averaging 39.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 9.7 assists entering Wednesday's game against the Chicago Bulls. Irving remains impressed with how Doncic succeeds at such a high level while playing within the game's flow and keeping his teammates involved. Irving also admires Doncic's willingness to do whatever it takes to win.
"I think how easy it's coming [is impressive], but also, he's doing it in the flow of the game," Irving said of Doncic's impressive start to the season. "He's getting everybody involved. To see it up close as his teammate is even more impressive, especially starting the season. He gets off to fast starts, man. He makes his imprint felt on games, he really impacts the game.
"He's really smart and really just wants to win, and it's easy to play next to someone who is willing to throw their body on the line to do everything to win.”
Dallas Mavs superstar Kyrie Irving during the 2023-24 NBA season.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
While Doncic is known for his elite scoring and passing ability, he's made a point to make a defensive impact as well, particularly in the Mavs' late-game situations. He's come up with some pivotal stops in those clutch situations, helping Dallas to a 4-0 record in the first four games of the season.
"Ah, man, he's going to steadily improve [on defense]," Irving said of Doncic's defensive impact. "Every young player in our league comes in, and I don't think defense is the first thought in their mind. You have to grow into that role and really appreciate getting stops. Some of the best players in the world, guys are giving that effort that it takes to not only win ball games but to dominate.
"I think he's at that point in his career, and I'm at that point in my career," Irving continued. "I can speak for a lot of guys in this locker room. We just want to dominate game-to-game, and teams that win championships every single year, go take it. We know we have to set our defensive identity now. It starts with some of our best players, and so with Luka participating in that makes the communication on our team a lot easier."
Another area in which the Mavs have continued to show growth is with their commitment to playing at a faster pace. Irving made a statement to the team before the end of last season, conveying the importance of everyone on the roster showing up in shape and being ready to play at a faster tempo.
"It's been great — you see the pace again. We're putting up numbers," Irving said of the Mavs playing faster. "There's an improvement from last year. You can really see guys took a statement that I had last year for just being in better shape personally. That makes us even greater as a team when we can hold each other accountable like that, really push throughout the summertime, and come into the season ready to play and let our work show for itself."
As Irving remains focused on continuing to recover from his foot injury, the Mavs find themselves as the only unbeaten team remaining in the Western Conference with their next game being their biggest test yet — a road matchup with the defending-champion Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
