Former NBA Player Makes Bold Prediction for Mavs' Kyrie Irving

Mavs' Kyrie Irving was the focus of a bold prediction from a former NBA player when discussing his outlook for the 2023-24 season.

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks hold high expectations for what they can achieve with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving this upcoming season. Irving was a free agent this summer, but he re-signed on a three-year, $126 million contract. The focus now is on what the Mavs can achieve after making roster changes around its superstar backcourt. 

Lofty expectations are not limited to being internal, as many around the NBA see major potential for Dallas in 2023-24. Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst, Kendrick Perkins, made a bold prediction about Irving during a recent appearance on NBA Today. 

"All-NBA type season. That's what I'm expecting," Perkins said. "Look, we saw Kyrie Irving last season that was going through a lot, and he still went out there and put up almost 27 points, six assists, and five rebounds, something around that nature.”

Perkins sees Irving as being motivated after receiving his new contract, but largely due to having a coach he respects in Jason Kidd as opposed to the situation that occurred with the Brooklyn Nets. 

"A motivated Kyrie Irving that's going to get a fresh start in training camp with a coach that he respect, that's the thing that people miss," Perkins said. "When you look at when he was in Cleveland, who he was under Tyronn Lue, a guy that played the game of basketball, a guy that played with Hall of Famers, a guy that won NBA championships as a player, he was a guy that was able to hold Kyrie Irving accountable."

Perkins continued: “You look at Brad Stevens, you look at Steve Nash, Kyrie Irving walked into that situation in Brooklyn and from the things that happened and transpired, he didn't respect Steve Nash like that.

“But he respects the hell out of Jason Kidd, and Jason Kidd is going to be able to hold him accountable when need be."

With Doncic focusing on slimming down, Perkins sees both superstars as being primed to achieve major results. With both players having a full training camp to build chemistry and install the offense, there is all the more reason to be optimistic. 

"A motivated Kyrie Irving that's ready to prove the world wrong with a skinny Luka. I'm looking at Kyrie Irving to be an All-NBA caliber player this season."

An important detail to note about Irving's outlook for an All-NBA caliber season is that he must appear in 65 games to be eligible. The last time he met that threshold was in 2018-19 when he played 67 games as a member of the Boston Celtics. He's only met the benchmark in four of 12 NBA seasons.

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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