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Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks fell from the Western Conference finals two seasons ago to watching the playoffs from the sidelines last season. Many were expecting at least a deep playoff run for Mark Cuban’s team that ended up not even making the play-in tournament.
After making significant changes to the roster this offseason, Cuban had this to say about the Mavs’ incoming campaign:
(5:02 mark)
“No one’s happy when you don’t make the playoffs. … We struggled last year with certain guys not knowing their role and playing their role whereas the year before when we went to the conference finals, everybody knew their role.
“Guys will know their role. They know they’re there to complement Luka [Doncic], including Kyrie [Irving]. We’ve built around Luka for that reason."
The Mavericks thought they were relying on Luka Doncic so much that they decided to ease the burden on him by getting another superstar. Wantaway former Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving suddenly became an interesting option.
Mark Cuban gave the go-ahead signal of putting a package centered around Dorian Finney-Smith, the team’s best defender, Spencer Dinwiddie and multiple draft picks.
The Mavericks, which were fourth in the tightly-contested Western Conference before the trade, fell to 11th in two weeks. They went 9-17 after the trade.
With Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic taking charge, Dallas’ offense unsurprisingly became one of the best in the entire NBA. Conversely, their middle-of-the-pack defense drastically fell. They were the worst team on that end after the trade deadline.
Mark Cuban addressed this glaring hole in the Dallas Mavericks’ roster:
“We got a lot younger, a lot more athletic. We’ll have a whole preseason with Kyrie [Irving] and Luka [Doncic] together. We’ve surrounded him with guys who can defend. Seth [Curry] can shoot.
"We’ve brought Timmy [Hardaway] back. Richaun Holmes is probably going to be the most underrated pickup of the summer. … We’re really excited.”
Cuban failed to mention former Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams, who is expected to have a big impact on the defensive end. Doncic and Irving will likely love playing alongside a versatile big with a ton of playoff experience.
The Dallas Mavericks are counting on Doncic and Irving to carry them
The Dallas Mavericks were only 5-11 when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving played together. It was a big reason why they couldn’t even make it to the play-in tournament.
Still, Cuban promptly told the media after the Mavs’ last regular-season game that re-signing “Uncle Drew,” was their priority.
Cuban is bullish that the pairing will be great moving forward for his team:
(3:15 mark)
“It worked with KD [Durant], who’s best with the ball in his hands. Harden’s best with the ball in his hands. I think Kyrie [Irving] has matured to the point where he knows it’s Luka’s [Doncic] team. Luka knows it’s Luka’s team.
“Kyrie knows it’s Luka’s team. That’s what’s important and he’s willing to play more of a shooting guard role.”
Basketball fans can’t wait to see how the retooled Dallas Mavericks will perform next season.
