DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks’ trade for Kyrie Irving became official Monday evening and he is expected to make his debut Wednesday for the team. Mavs fans will soon get to see how Irving plays alongside franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic.
In a Tuesday edition of the Locked On Mavs podcast, host Nick Angstadt was joined for a crossover show with Locked On Nets host Adam Armbrecht to break down what Irving will do for Dallas.
“He’s one of the top guards in the league,” Armbrecht said. “You instantly get, now, the best backcourt combination in all of basketball, by far.”
As for the balance with Doncic, Armbrecht noted how comfortable Irving is playing off another star, as he did with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, and the ways in which Irving can attack in tight windows of time and space.
“He does not have to have the ball working into his spots on the court,” Armbrecht said. “You can get him that ball with 6 seconds on the shot clock, and he will provide offensive power for you.”
And Irving might be even better this season. He was voted an All-Star starter this season and helped keep Brooklyn afloat while Durant recovered from a sprained MCL last month.
“You can make a case that the basketball he has been playing this season, especially the last stretch before he made a trade demand, is the best basketball he’s played in his career,” said Armbrecht.
From a Dallas standpoint, in addition to balancing the offense next to Doncic, one of the big needs for a costar for Doncic is someone who can take control when he is on the bench.
“When people say there’s only one ball, one of the things that Mavs needed a second star for is when Luka (Doncic) is off the floor,” Angstadt said. “When you look at Kyrie, when Kyrie’s been on the floor and Kevin Durant is not, their offensive rating stays just about the same.”
The fit looks to be solid in theory, but as with all of Irving’s recent situations, it remains to be seen what it will look like in reality.