Mavs Have Many Problems, But Kyrie Irving Isn’t One of Them
The Dallas Mavericks have been abysmal for the last few months, as they’ve gone 8-16 since star guard Kyrie Irving made his dazzling post-trade debut in a road win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 8.
Because of that poor record coinciding with Irving’s arrival, many in the national media have been quick to fuel the narrative that "Kyrie's the problem in Dallas'' when we believe that is the furthest thing from the truth.
Despite all the drama that has transpired in Irving’s previous destinations, and some of the drama here as well, all of our conversations with Mavs people suggest that he has been a "pro’s pro'' in Dallas and is one of the few bright spots in a time of darkness for the Mavs.
A "clusterf***''? There is much about the Mavs' situation that fits the now-infamous Kyrie (mis)quote. But let's examine some truths here ...
On the court, Irving has done exactly what the Mavs front office hoped he’d do when they traded for him — play at a superstar level. In 19 games for Dallas, Irving is averaging 26.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 51 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from deep and 94.6 percent from the free-throw line.
In the Mavs’ latest outing — a disappointing 132-130 overtime road loss to the Atlanta Hawks on a second night of a back-to-back — Irving did his best to try to will his team to victory with a game-high 41 points on 16-27 shooting.
Much has been made about the fit between Irving and Luka Doncic, but there’s truly little to worry about in that department. Both guys have proven capable of being able to take turns and get their numbers while sharing the floor and also having their minutes staggered at times. In 375 minutes, the Mavs’ two-man lineup of Irving and Doncic has a 118.6 offensive rating and a 114.6 defensive rating.
When Luka recently mentioned "unhappiness''? Contrary to national media reflection, there is no indication he was talking about his new teammate.
Irving has been just as much of a superstar off the court as well, impressing Mavs staffers and teammates with his professionalism and even playing a mentor role to rookie guard Jaden Hardy.
"[Kyrie] tells everyone to speak up. When we are together as a team, like in the locker room, and things are not going well, he tends to speak up and let it be known how he's feeling. A lot of guys respect that,” Hardy told our Grant Afseth in a DallasBasketball.com exclusive interview.
“I feel like he's done a great job ever since he's been here, just being a leader."
Irving has past blemishes on his resume, sure, but there are none from his short time in Dallas. If this is the version of the star guard they’d be getting for the foreseeable future, the Mavs would be wise and fortunate to sign Irving to a new contract this summer while also trying to re-tool the rest of the roster
When evaluating the failures of this season’s Mavs, the loud-mouthed, shock-jock narratives will surely continue to surface from a handful of outlets over the next few weeks and months leading into the NBA Draft and free agency, but don’t let that noise fool you.
Kyrie Irving has been outstanding as a Maverick, and the burden of Dallas potentially missing the postseason for the first time since Doncic’s rookie year doesn’t rest on his shoulders.
So who gets the blame? We say the biggest issue is simply "roster construction,'' and therefore responsibility rests on the shoulders of owner Mark Cuban, GM Nico Harrison and, to an extent, coach Jason Kidd.
With three games remaining, the Mavs are reportedly considering shutting down both Irving and Doncic, a sign that the franchise is getting close to waving the white flag on the season. If Dallas doesn’t make the postseason, which is looking more like ‘when’ than ‘if,’ all eyes will turn to this year’s draft lottery.
Maybe the Mavs will have some lottery luck for the first time in franchise history, and maybe … hopefully … Irving will be a part of a fast and successful rebuild coming this summer.
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