Mavericks are ‘impressed by Kyrie Irving’s professionalism and locker room presence,’ squashing rumors that Luka Doncic is ‘frustrated’ with his star teammate amid Dallas’ poor form
The Mavericks are said to be impressed with the way newly acquired superstar point guard Kyrie Irving has since arrived in Dallas, despite the dark cloud currently hanging over his season.
As reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Saturday, there has been nothing but praise about his professionalism and locker room presence during his brief time in Dallas. Blaming Luka Doncic’s frustration on Irving isn’t fair or accurate.
Dallas lost the second of two straight games against the struggling Charlotte Hornets, sending the panic level from Defcon level four to Defcon level 5.
The Mavericks’ recent lackluster play while in the thick of the tough Western Conference playoff battle made the game feel like a must-win, prompting star player Luka Doncic to vent his frustration during the press conference. post game.
‘It’s really frustrating. I think you can see it with me on the court. Sometimes, I don’t feel like it’s me, just being out there,’ Doncic said.
Mavericks impressed with Kyrie Irving’s ‘professionalism and locker room presence’
News of feelings for Irving within the organization dispelled speculation that Luka Doncic is frustrated with Irving due to the team’s recent streak of lackluster performances.
The fact that the Mavericks are 6-9 when Irving has played since the trade that brought him to Dallas, coupled with the recent sentiment both on social media and in an overwhelming part of the mainstream media of painting Irving as a villain led to quick speculation that Doncic directed his comments at the newly acquired eight-time All-Star.
Irving is averaging 27.6 points and 6.1 assists per game in addition to shooting 50.4 percent from the field since joining the Mavericks, though for reasons beyond his control that production hasn’t translated into wins.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd also commented on the team’s performance after the game.
‘When you look at the beginning of both games, we weren’t very good. Again, speaking of what happened, we watched the pregame video and also talked about what we needed to do and unfortunately, Kidd said. “We just didn’t do that in that first quarter, and probably in the first half as well.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd criticized his team’s performance while speaking to the media.
‘Like the last game, we talked about it at half time and I thought the effort was extremely high on the defensive end.
“Offensively, all night, we had a great look and we didn’t put the ball in the basket: open 3s, some missed layups that we normally do, but that’s part of the game. I thought the energy level was extremely high in the second half.
Dallas’ record dropped to 36-39 on the season following their most recent loss, which also saw them drop to 11th in the West.