Kyrie Irving Sees 'Special' Dallas Mavs Team, Details Passing Success & Shooting Slump
ORLANDO — During the Dallas Mavericks' 117-102 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday, Kyrie Irving finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists. Along with Luka Doncic, Irving was instrumental in closing out the opponent down the stretch as the two superstars combined for the team's final 13 points with 23 total in the fourth quarter.
Irving, 31, dealt with a groin injury in preseason and continues to manage a foot sprain, which has prevented him from establishing an extended run of play due to being in and out of the lineup at times. Before Monday's game, he felt he had finally gotten his legs under him again.
"Just because before the season, I didn't get the same opportunities to go up and down to close to a month off," Irving said. "It's been the first time in my 12 years playing in this league where I just didn't want to be tired at the start of the season, the last few seasons. I think I put so much pressure on myself to be ready, to be prepared. I don't think this year it felt like pressure; it just felt like just easing into what we have going on."
After a 6-1 start to the season, Irving continues to see the makings of what he considers a "special" team he can trust. He doesn't feel a major pressure to shoulder the burden of carrying a group as they continue to build continuity.
"We have a special group. I can trust these guys. I don't have to be Superman. I don't have to put everything on my shoulders," Irving said. "And it's not saying that I had to do that in other teams. It's just mentally, you can do that to yourself when you're trying to prove people wrong, trying to put all the naysayers' opinions in the back of your mind and use it as fuel."
While Irving is averaging only 20.0 points — his lowest single-season mark since 2015-16 — he remains focused on the development of the group and having his and the team's performance peak at the right team.
"This year is just a focus on basketball and peaking at the right time. You'll hear me say that pretty often," Irving said. "I don't think my accolades are at the forefront either, like making All-Star and making whatever [All-NBA] teams and stuff like that. I think it's just developing as a leader and mature and being able to put one foot in each other in front of the other every single day on and off the court. We're a growing group."
Dallas Mavs superstar Kyrie Irving attacking the rm against the Orlando Magic.
Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
In the span of 24 hours, Irving recorded consecutive games with 10 assists, something he had achieved only twice during all of the 2022-23 season. He credits the talent around him for allowing him to have success in distributing the ball in a way that is leading to such a high volume of assists.
"I play with some high-level players and um, you know, sometimes they [think to] score first, and sometimes I'm score first," Irving said. "And you just have to play off each other. I think at this point in my career, it feels good to be able to have the ball in my hands down the stretch or throughout tight situations or circumstances within the game and have the trust of my teammates just to get us back in the game.
"I have to give all the credit to my teammates for making my job a lot easier, and I just have to get the ball into the right place, right time, and trust that they're going to make the shot," Irving explained.
Irving, who is coming off a season where he was just 0.8 percent shy in the perimeter shooting department from being in the 50/40/90 club again, hasn't converted at his regular clip to begin the season. He's shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 24.1 percent from 3-point range but is focused on the team's success rather than getting frustrated about his percentages by making the right play as a passer.
"It's natural for me to say I'm frustrated with my jump shots and focus on the things that I'm not necessarily doing well, percentage-wise or stats-wise," Irving said. "That's the easy thing. You know, I feel like that's kind of a cop-out, but the focus is really on our team winning and our team camaraderie.
"How do I make sure I get the best out of my teammates every night despite what I'm doing out there, scoring-wise? So it's definitely refreshing to be able to get wins where my teammates are bringing that level of intensity and focus and want to play well alongside me, Luka, and the rest of the guys."
As Irving and Doncic continue to build alongside each other, Irving remains intrigued by picking apart defenses, whether he's initiating the play or spending time off the ball to begin a possession. His primary focus is on alleviating pressure off of Doncic, who is averaging 31.6 points and 8.9 assists through seven games.
"I'm looking forward to the future, having more games like this, and being able to take my time as a point guard or a shooting guard alongside Luka and just take some pressure off him," Irving said.
The Mavs return to action on Wednesday when they face the Toronto Raptors, beginning the first of two home games at American Airlines Center.
