The finest individual players will always have a positive impact. It’s rarely the case that when two figures of similar caliber come together, the feelings aren’t positive. After all, good guys have to play with good guys. And that’s the same reading that could be made of the first game they played together Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas Mavericks. The beginning of this star pairing cannot be summed up simply by looking at the result, 133-128 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kingsbecause it would be unfair to dwell on the surface of what is said to be the start of a new era for the Mavs.
This duo’s debut more than lived up to their expectations. And, somehow, they both moved on the field as expected. Luka Doncic took on a bigger load in decision-making during the first part of the match, while Kyrie Irving has been waiting for his moment to decide one against one.
subscribe to NBA League Pass to see all games: United States | The rest of the world
It wasn’t until the close that the true potential and match of these two became apparent. The stars were repeatedly combined to make it easier to choose between them. Through mutual blocks and moves without the ball, both of which provided opportunities to score with more or less success. It’s just his performance at clutch which should give Mavs fans the most hope after showing that they have tremendous potential to punish their opponents when the game is close. Foot speed and ability to move without the ball Kyrie fits the bill with Luca’s game vision and post dominance.
However, while this way of finding his shots or facilitating passing lanes for Irving comes naturally to others, It is Doncic who is most likely to struggle to adjust to his new partner. Evidence of this was two final serve actions in which both intervened. One ended with a forced shot by the Slovenian that didn’t go in. The second was supposed to be a 3-pointer by Kyrie, but it ended up on a basket in the crossbar by Luca.
In fact, at the end of the duel, the Slovenian acknowledged his part of the responsibility for the first choice. “I should have given it back to Kyrie”Luke said. “For me it’s a learning process. But I should have given him the ball back. He was great at the end of the game.”
The balance of the Mavs’ first experience with their new tandem inspires optimism. In the 29 minutes shared between the two, the Texans mustered one +/- positive 14 points with interesting launch rates, which arrive 54.7% from the field, 39.3% from threes and with 10 turnovers in 95 possessions. Thus, Doncic finished with 27 points (55%), 9 rebounds and 5 assists while Irving was the top scorer with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Without overreacting, what is expected in these first few weeks together will be a kind of offensive tourism with the two taking turns making decisions while the other thinks about the game. An example:
Kyrie goes in for the HARD spin and finish 👀
Kings lead by 4 with 1:27 left in OT!
SEE: https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK pic.twitter.com/xtxz82YKWR
—NBA (@NBA) February 12, 2023
Something that is part of a natural process of acclimatization between the two and creating a favorable ecosystem to Doncic and Irving that Jason Kidd’s coaching staff needs to lead.
The possibilities of this couple are endless. The combination of both could make them the most defining offensive pairing in the NBA. In front 24 games to meet and build a system that takes advantage of the best of each.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
