Prior to Kyrie Irving’s arrival, the Dallas Mavericks held the fourth-best record in the Western Conference with Luka Doncic putting up video game-esque numbers. Since then, the Mavs have plummeted from a potential playoff-bound team to a team that could miss the postseason altogether. 

   Currently a half game back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for 10th in the West, Dallas is a team in search of answers, and quickly running out of time to find them. The Mavs are 1-7 in their previous eight contests, and feature back to back losses to the lowly Hornets.

   Even more concerning is the fact that the team has appeared to have lost all ability to play defense, as opponents are regularly torching them for 120+ points per night. In the past they may have been able to outscore opponents in track meet style games, but their recent loss to Miami highlights how this too may be a thing of the past as well.

   Their 129-122 defeat came despite a combined 65-point performance from Doncic and Kyrie Irving. It also handed the Mavs their tenth loss in the 14 games Doncic and Irving have played together. A mark that now sits at 4-11.

   Overall, Irving is averaging 26.7 points, 5.9 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 37.7% three-point shooting in 37.8 minutes per game since coming over from Brooklyn. Despite the above-average offensive numbers, Irving & Co. have very much been performing like a below average NBA franchise.

Kyrie Irving Problems

   When the Irving trade was initially finalized just days before February’s trade deadline, many believed Irving wouldn’t be a Maverick beyond this season, regardless of how deep the Mavs went in the 2023 playoffs. After all, the LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion talks remain very much alive and well in NBA circles.

   However, Kyrie Irving’s on-court struggles and inability to gel well with his current teammates have essentially torpedoed the Mavs playoff hopes. The issues have become so dire that the usually jovial Doncic issued the now infamous “I used to have really fun, smiling on the court, but it’s just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball” quote last week.

   Sure, the Mavs have scored more (118.2 points per game) with Irving than in games without Irving (112.6 points), and have been shooting better (49.6% from the field and 41.4% from the three-point line) with Irving on board than in games without him (46.% and 36.2%). But their defense since acquiring the 8x All-Star has been virtually non-existent.

   In their 117-109 loss against the Charlotte Hornets, Dallas allowed the team with the second-worst record in the East to shoot 48.3% from the field and barely contested the 3 point line, allowing Charlotte to shoot nearly 40% from beyond the arc. 

   By contrast, the Hornets’ defense worked, especially against Kyrie Irving. Irving only had 18 points and hit only one of his eight attempts from deep. Luka Doncic, for his part, flirted with a triple double finishing the night with 34 points, ten rebounds, and eight assists. 

   Irving has admitted that the Mavs won’t turn into championship contenders overnight. 

“This was for the long term, and this was for something that’s bigger than ourselves and we can’t just be a championship team overnight,” he said.

   However, if the Mavs were to miss the playoffs despite having one of the most electrifying backcourt duos in the NBA today, it’s hard to view the trade as anything beyond an abject failure. It will also mean former starter Spencer Dinwiddle and elite defender Dorian Finney-Smith, will essentially have been lost for naught. 

   Simply put, the Mavs were in a better position before Kyrie Irving arrived. And, with no assurances that Irving will re-sign with the Mavericks beyond June, the club can’t feel great about the position they’re currently in.

  Making matters worse, Dallas isn’t even assured of keeping whomever they select in the 2023 NBA Draft. Land a top-ten pick and the Mavs will retain their choice. Outside of that, their pick will go to the New York Knicks as a completion to the Kristaps Porzingis trade back in 2019.

   Either way, things aren’t so cheery these days deep in the heart of Texas. 

-Iggy Gonzales

Photo: Gage Skidmore. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.