Kyrie Irving has Given the Mavericks the Best Version of Himself

Since he pulled off arguably the biggest blow of the NBA history of winning the seventh game of the 2016 final against the 73 victories Warriors of the Golden State, Kyrie Irving had one of the most tumultuous career periods for a player.

In the seven seasons since, Irving has only won one playoff series outside of his senior year with LeBron James in Cleveland, where they lost in the NBA Finals to Kevin DurantThe Warriors. Irving requested a trade Cleveland Cavaliers that summer to try to be number one on his own team.

After spending two injury- and drama-filled seasons in Boston, Irving unceremoniously abandoned the Celtics to join Durant in Brooklyn. This seems to be an admission that leading your own team is a lot harder than it seems, since Irving has built a duo of superstars in his new home.

However, injuries and off-the-court drama once again deprived Irving of playing meaningful basketball during his three years there, ultimately leading to his trade request which left him earned the title. Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. After the absolute failure of a season where Dallas lost its final games to secure a draft pick, questions about Irving’s value were the dominant topic as he sought to secure a contract extension.

Injuries and questionable off-court decisions led most NBA fans and analysts to believe that Irving was not worth a max extension, but Dallas ultimately relented and signed him to a three-year contract. However, Irving is a special player and has proven everyone wrong so far.

Irving is more reliable for Dallas in 2024

His talent has long been overshadowed by injuries and off-field issues.

Although he was an incredible performer almost every time he stepped on the court, Irving’s last six seasons in the NBA were characterized by his absence from the court rather than his play. Since the 2017-2018 season, Irving only played in 290 games out of a possible 472 and finished just two of his team’s five playoff runs.

After an excellent start to his career, both in terms of quality of play and reliability, Irving struggled to get on the court with regularity over the next six seasons, depriving fans of the incredible basketball he present. The off-court distractions and injuries were so bad that NBA fans wondered if he would ever return to the elite level of 2011-2017, but Irving has been completely locked in and focused this season.

Irving is having one of the best seasons of his career

Demonstrate artistry on the field every night while staying healthy

First, Irving has been healthy in 2023-24, at least by his standards. He played in 47 of the team’s 69 games, reaching the 60-game mark for only the second time in the last five years. Additionally, he has played in 20 consecutive games as of March 21, his longest streak since the 2015-16 season. Irving gave the Mavericks his full commitment all season and was a big reason for their solid 40-29 record.

Perhaps more importantly, Irving was spectacular on the court, averaging 25.3 points, 5.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds on absurd splits of 49.0/40.5/90.9 . He was one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA this year, perfectly complimenting Dončić giving him occasional breaks while Irving breaks down the defense himself.

Irving has always been at his best when he’s the second option on a team with a top forward controlling the offense while he can pick his spots and attack more favorable matchups. Irving had his greatest team success alongside LeBron, and Dončić is a lesser version of what James does.

The incredible basketball artistry that Kyrie Irving displays every night is truly breathtaking to watch, and it has been on full display this season. This undoubtedly resulted in winner of the most impressive match of all timea left-handed floater 20 feet away above Nikola Jokic beat Denver at the buzzer.

Can Irving and Dončić lead the Mavericks to a title in 2024?

Both superstars give Dallas a fighting chance in a tough Western Conference

Although Dallas has had a great season thanks to the individual greatness of its two superstars, their 40-29 record is only good for the seventh seed in the West as of March 21. The Western Conference is so deep that eight teams are at least 10 games over .500, putting Dallas in a tough situation rankings.

If the Mavericks can’t get past the Kings for the sixth seed, they’ll have to go through a play-in game just to make the playoffs. However, they are currently a half-game behind Sacramento and Dallas has the third strength of schedule going forward. Getting to the sixth line and locking themselves into the playoffs would do wonders for their chances of succeeding in the West.

Despite the relative lack of help from their teammates compared to other contenders, Dallas will enter any series with a duo better than most and can compete with Jokić and Murray or Durant and Booker. Every NBA competitor should be I’m afraid of Dallas in the clutch, as they posted the second-best clutch offensive rating in the league this year. No one wants to get into a shooting competition with these guys late in the game.

The Mavericks were also boosted by their trade deadline additions Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington. The two resolved some key size, athleticism and shooting issues for Dallas and gave the team a legitimate playoff rotation. If the rest of the Mavericks roster can give Dončić and Irving the help they need, Dallas will pose a real threat to anyone in the West.

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