How have Dallas Mavericks fared since the Kyrie Irving trade?

Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo finally made its debut on Saturday night as the Mavs faced the Sacramento Kings on the road. Even with their two superstar players on the team, the Mavericks ended up losing the game 133-128 in overtime.

As disappointing as this loss may have been for Dallas fans, they need to consider that the Kings have proven themselves to be worthy contenders in the 2022-23 NBA season.

Despite facing his first defeat as part of the Dallas Mavericks, Kyrie Irving has been spectacular since his team debut. While Luka Doncic was out, Irving stepped up and carried the load even though he was still trying to find his feet in Dallas. As of this writing, Irving now has a 2-1 record as a Mavericks player. He won two of those games without Doncic in the lineup.

Irving made his debut last Wednesday against the LA Clippers. The star guard led the Mavs to a 110-104 victory, dropping 24 points, five assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block.

A couple of nights later, Kai helped Dallas win again, this time against the Kings. With a 122-114 victory, Irving added a double-double with 25 points, 10 assists, three rebounds and one steal.

Overall, it's safe to say that Irving has increased the Dallas Mavericks' chances of contending for the title this season.

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Will the duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving work?

The new Dallas Mavericks squad (Image via The Cold Wire)

Since Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, fans were excited about Luka Doncic now having a solid partner to work with. While keeping two or more stars in a team seems reassuring, it isn't necessarily the most efficient solution.

On Saturday, Doncic and Irving debuted as a duo but lost their first game together. The Mavericks are now 0-1 with both superstars in the lineup. Honestly, it's still too early to say what the future may hold, given that the team is now trying to build their chemistry with Irving in the rotation. However, based on how the star duo played against the Kings, it might take a while before they mesh.

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic play very similar roles. Both are lethal scorers and have insane court visions to set up their teammates. They may be great ball facilitators, but oddly, they weren't passing much to each other on Saturday night. Instead of playing as a unit, it appeared that the two players were fighting for the team's top spot. They both tried to play hero ball late in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Dallas will have to sort this out soon if they want their star combo to work in the long run. But as mentioned a while ago, it's only Irving and Doncic's first game together and they still have plenty of time to work on their chemistry. Hopefully, by the time the playoffs arrive, they'll be in full force.