𝔻𝕀𝔾𝔾𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝔻𝔼𝔼ℙ 𝕀ℕ 𝕂ℝ𝕀𝔼 𝕀ℝ𝕍𝕀ℕ𝔾’𝕤 ℕ𝔹𝔸 𝕊𝕋𝕆ℝ𝕐! 𝔸 𝕃𝔼𝔾𝔼ℕ𝔻𝔸ℝ𝕐 ℂ𝔸ℝ𝔼𝔼ℝ!!

Kyrie Irving, among the Dallas Mavericks’ longest-tenured players, is a myth buster. Following Jaden Hardy and Dwight Powell, he occupies the third spot on the roster.

 

His status as a Maverick has allowed him to participate in and benefit from many things. Even though many of the players he originally signed with have since left, he is still officially a part of the team, has a fresh contract, and plans to return prepared to compete.

 

Kyrie has been vital to this organisation, but it can be tough to stand back and appreciate all that he has done for the club.

 

He taught the front office it’s okay to take a chance on a guy as great as Irving, was the first superstar to sign with Dallas in a long time, and helped lead the Mavs to the NBA Finals.

Then we can evaluate his contribution to the squad.

 

“Before” Kyrie Irving

The 2022-2023 pre-Kyrie Dallas Mavericks were alright, floating around .500 (28-26). They were always a team that could step on the gas pedal and upset anyone on any given day; however, it was really just Dončić, a few “three-and-D” guys, and two playmakers in Dinwiddie and a then-rookie Jaden Hardy. It was a good team, yet one that was never going to take the next step to title contention status. We’ve seen it before: a helio-centric offense run by Luka the year prior, with everyone hitting their stride at the right time. They proceeded to get gentlemen-swept by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, who would go on to win a championship.

The Mavericks needed someone other than Luka Dončić to take the load off him and be a 1B option every night. Someone who could be a secondary ball-handler and generate shots for himself and his team. Someone who could make this team take the next step.

 

ENTERING DEEP INTO KYRIE IRVING 

The second that trade went through, a lot of people had a lot of thoughts racing. Did the Mavs give up too much? Should they have run this Doncic-led offense one more time? What if Kyrie misses half of this season and leaves as soon as it’s over? What if Kyrie’s off-court antics catch up to him here, affecting himself and everyone else in the locker room? What if we gave up too much defense and won’t be able to compete even though everything else goes right?

Some other thoughts may have been: What if Kyrie is exactly what we needed? What if the package we gave up for Kyrie (Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2027 second-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick) was worth it? What if he develops a better relationship with the Mavericks than with any other team? What if he’s on the floor, averaging 30 a night, and is the perfect complement to the Dallas Mavericks, helping them do what they hadn’t done in over a decade?

High risk, high reward was the best way to describe putting Kyrie Irving on this roster.

 

 

“While” Kyrie Irving

The remainder of the 2022–2023 season was less than satisfactory. The Mavs’ record after trading for Irving was 10-18, and their record with Irving on the court was 8-12.

The Mavericks’ last two games were abysmal, and Luka and Kyrie combined for a 5-11 record.

 

A lot of people were wondering how well these two guys clicked and how frequently Irving would be in and out of the starting lineup. But he joined the Dallas Cowboys this summer to a $126 million, three-year deal.

He couldn’t wait for next season so he could try again with this squad for a chip. In place of Reggie Bullock, Kyrie began the 2017 season with a fresh lineup that included youngster Dereck Lively II, Grant Williams, Danté Exum, Richaun Holmes, and Richaun Holmes.

By the trade deadline, Dallas had improved to 29–23 and was eager to continue their winning streak.

By trading Richaun Holmes and a first-round selection for Daniel Gafford, they acquired PJ Washington; in exchange, they sent Seth Curry (whom the Mavs later signed) and Grant Williams.

Even though the Mavs traded away a lot of draft picks that year, the front staff still thought this club had a shot at winning it all with Kyrie in the lineup.

Hope everything works out soon. Including a 12-1 surge at the close of the regular season, Dallas finished 21-9 after the trade deadline.

 

On top of all that, Kyrie had become an integral element of the Dallas culture, played in 58 games (which was pretty near to the 65 games that most people had hoped he would play), averaged 47.3/41.1/90.5 splits, and reached 25 points per game.

No nebulous “personal reasons” were given for his benching. Injury worries were minimal throughout the season. When he could be, he was there, and he played magnificently. And it was gorgeous.

 

Kyrie kept playing basketball when the playoffs rolled around. Against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first series, he averaged 26.5 points per game and had a huge game 6 performance to seal the deal: thirty points, six boards, four assists, two steals, and two blocks, and this:

 

 

While playing for the Mavs against the Thunder of Oklahoma City, he stepped back. Because PJ Washington scored 20+ points in three games and because everyone else contributed, they were able to win the series in six games without him.

In the Western Conference finals, he and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, thanks in large part to his offensive masterclass, in which he averaged 27 points and 4.6 assists.

The Boston Celtics’ five-game sweep of the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals brought an end to a remarkable streak that began at the February trade deadline.

Even though he had his outstanding performances, Kyrie’s average of 19.8 points and 5.0 assists per game wasn’t enough to keep up with the Celtics.

 

Kyrie fulfilled all expectations and more in leading this team to its first NBA Finals appearance since 2011, regardless of whether the team won a title or not. Kyrie Irving helped propel the Mavs to unprecedented heights that nobody could have foreseen after the 22–23 and 23–24 seasons.

 

After trading Josh Green and draft picks for Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and Quentin Grimes, and Hardaway Jr. and some picks for Hardaway, Irving began the 2024–2025 NBA season with a potentially (or incontestably) stronger lineup. For the year, Kyrie produced an average of 24.7-4.8-4.6.

 

His strong performance contributed to the team’s 32-29 record. Despite losing running partner Luka Doncic in the transaction that sent Anthony Davis and Max Christie to the Los Angeles Lakers, he kept on winning.

 

In the 30 days following the deal, he averaged nearly 28 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists per game. He had run out of luck with injuries, unfortunately.

 

The Dallas Mavericks lost their game against the Sacramento Kings on March 3rd, reducing their record to 32-30, and he suffered a torn ACL in the process.

 

After losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in the final game of the regular season, Kyrie would miss the final 20 games and both play-in games, causing Dallas to conclude their season.

 

Kyrie’s Future

It is important to state that no one could have predicted exactly what Kyrie Irving brought to the Mavericks. No one expected the Mavericks to accomplish what they did just a season after missing the playoffs, and Kyrie was a catalyst. He ended the narrative of being a toxic presence and seemingly built a tight bond with everyone on the team.

He signed with the Mavs again this offseason for 3 years, $119 million. He is a great basketball player, a superstar worthy of the name.

He is also 33 years old, and this isn’t the first time he’s had a season-ending injury. One can’t help but wonder how much he’s got left in the tank, and even if he does, is it enough?

 

Along with having another injury-prone player on the roster and the best rookie the Mavs have gotten since Doncic, how is Kyrie Irving going to slot in? On top of that, how is he going to look coming back from injury in the middle of the season? Is he going to be a positive asset if the Mavs are looking to make a playoff push come early 2026?

There are a lot of concerns. Though these concerns have a lot of merit to them, they’re pretty similar to the ones that were there when the Mavs first traded for him.

 

They’re also ones that I believe he’ll dispel as he comes back to the court for this 24-25 NBA season. Kyrie has proven time and time again that the Mavericks can rely on him.

It isn’t too much to expect for him to come back and be a solid 20-25 PPG scorer. He may lose a step, but his accuracy from the field shouldn’t be impacted.

 

He doesn’t take enough shots at the rim to say that his injury will affect that profile of his offense. His handles are etched into the very fiber of his being and that shouldn’t take a hit either.

 

Though his defense was already compromised by his size, this injury may take him even further away from being able to compete on that end.

 

How the Dallas Mavericks perform as he gets back will be heavily dependent on his teammates, but Kyrie will surely put his best foot forward and compete with the team, regardless of circumstances.

We should all expect him to hit the ground running, being the Mavericks’ primary ball-handler and their clutch iso player. He’s had no previous indication of not being able to compete after a season-ending injury, and this time should be no different. Even if we won’t see him for the first half of the season (or more), we should still expect great things from him.