LISTEN: Kyrie Irving Mavs Debut Instills Confidence; Luka Doncic Back vs. Kings?
Trading for a superstar talent in Kyrie Irving significantly enhances the Dallas Mavericks' chances of competing for a championship this year, but so does the elevated play of the other guys on the roster if it can be sustained.
Sometimes, a roster can stay mostly the same for too long and become stale. That's not to say the pre-Irving roster wasn't good, but it certainly felt like it was running on fumes, especially considering that many players were trying to overcompensate for the Mavs losing Jalen Brunson in free agency last summer.
Dallas' front office, led by owner Mark Cuban and GM Nico Harrison sensed this and swiftly pounced on the chance to give Doncic a true co-star for the first time in his young career. Now, the roster has more balance and there's less pressure on everyone despite expectations being higher.
In the past, the Mavs would fall apart when Doncic would go to the bench for a quick breather. Now, though, Doncic can rest easy knowing that another All-NBA talent is out there continuously applying pressure to Dallas' opponents. Meanwhile, other key players like Christian Wood, Josh Green, Reggie Bullock, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dwight Powell and rookie Jaden Hardy have pressure taken off of them by going down a notch in the roster's pecking order.
On this episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we discuss Irving's smooth debut, which resulted in a 110-104 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers, as well as what we're expecting from Dallas' important weekend back-to-back with the Sacramento Kings.
Will Doncic finally return from his heel injury? Is the Mavs-Suns rivalry better now than in the mid-to-late 2000s now that Irving is in Dallas and Kevin Durant is with Phoenix?
You can find the answers to all those questions and more right here:
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