Column: Kyrie Irving's presence adds more than just 'another' superstar
It's almost like you're watching a different team. Kyrie Irving. He did this. He reshaped the Dallas Mavericks from a team that strictly plays half-court basketball to one that outruns and outguns the Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers. This may be the house Luka Doncic built, but it is the one Irving appraised. And its […]
It's almost like you're watching a different team.
Kyrie Irving. He did this. He reshaped the Dallas Mavericks from a team that strictly plays half-court basketball to one that outruns and outguns the Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers. This may be the house Luka Doncic built, but it is the one Irving appraised. And its value has gone up.
It's easy to put Irving in the basket of often disgruntled NBA superstars that, as they age, teams should steer clear of — think Allen Iverson by the 2005 season. But that isn't Irving. Yes, he has a spotty past. Yes, it's been widely circulated that he is unpredictable. And yes, he hasn't always enjoyed speaking with reporters. But already, in a mere two games, Irving has done something thought nearly impossible at the start of the season: He made the Mavericks… fun again.
And for that, he isn't just the Mavericks' attempt to add another superstar. He is the key to a future where Dallas actually competes for championships.
"When Kai first practiced with us, you could see a turn," Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said.
It's safe to say, we all could.
Without Doncic in the first two games, Irving has made it a point to play with aggression. But it's not an aggression that is all-encompassing. He's picking spots to show his scoring prowess and supplementing those moments with possessions that get everyone involved.
Irving, a magician on the floor, has mastered the hardest trick of them all — dominating a game without dominating the ball. Josh Green has looked more empowered in his two games alongside Irving. JaVale McGee has looked like the center Dallas thought it was getting when playing with Irving. Reggie Bullock has taken and made more open threes in the last two games. And Jaden Hardy appears more confident than ever before.
Irving's game, when he's bought in, has a utilitarian aspect to it. Somehow, it manages to bring the greatest amount of on-court good to the greatest amount of people around him. That is what makes him always worth the risk — the rewards for a great Irving appear endless.
“As long as I can take some eyes with me, some bodies with me,” Irving said, “I feel like I’ve done my job just as an aggressive point guard.”
Where things might be dicey is when Doncic is back in the picture. His return from a heel injury is around the corner, and for the first time, Dallas will face a war of the world: Doncic's slow old-man game and Irving's frantic utopian and utilitarian run-and-gun scheme.
It's something the Mavericks don't appear worried about. And rightfully so. Irving has played alongside Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Jayson Tatum. He's learned how to play off them as well. But, in this case, Doncic — though the better player — should play off Irving and the speed to which his presence affords the Mavericks.
If Doncic does play off Irving, serving as a screener to him in offensive sets and running the floor well on breaks, while still being a generational scorer when things break down, Dallas' offense will be a puzzle few teams have the pieces to solve.
That's what makes Irving more than just another superstar. He is the guy that injected life into a roster and offensive style that stagnated. And with his arrival, the prospect of Dallas being a legitimate contender remains far more plausible than any other outcome.
“He really is a competitor, and he wants to win,” Green said of Irving. “I’m all for it, man. He’s getting those offensive rebounds at the end of the game. He’s on the floor three, four times. You can just tell he’s a competitor, and it’s good to have that.”
Related Dallas Mavericks reading
"Kyrie Irving makes Dallas something it hasn't been in the Luka Doncic era."
"Kyrie Irving explains what to expect from Luka Doncic pairing."
"Column: Kyrie Irving is always worth the risk."
"How the Dallas Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving."
Feature image via Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
