Kyrie Irving Says Mavs Have Allowed Him To 'Focus' On Basketball

Kyrie Irving is nearly a year removed from when he was acquired via trade by the Dallas Mavericks.

For all the noise that surrounded Kyrie Irving ahead of his trade from the Brooklyn Nets to the Dallas Mavericks last year, things have quieted considerably compared to where things stood a year ago. 

Now, Irving and the Mavericks are thriving because of it. 

Kyrie Irving / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

In an interview with ESPN's Tim MacMahon, he spoke about the impact the environment in Dallas has had on him. He also spoke about how his exit in Brooklyn allowed him to grow and improve off the court.  

"Dallas gave me a chance to just focus on the main thing, which is being the best basketball player when I stepped foot here, and then off the court still support me," Irving said. 

The former No. 1 overall pick added: "I had to be mature enough to say I got to take accountability for my own actions. I got to really walk and be the example that I want to see in the world. And that's just being a good person to a lot of people, and not being so hard to reach and not be so isolated to where people can misjudge that as whatever it is."

Irving, 31, has done it all in his first full season in Dallas, as he has averaged 25.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and five rebounds per game in his 26 games this season. The 6-foot-2 guard is also shooting 41 percent from beyond the 3-point line, which is nearly two percent better than his career average of 39.2 percent. 

Irving and Luka Doncic's play has helped lead to a 24-18 record as the season has just crossed the midway point, and Dallas is currently sixth in a loaded Western Conference. Doncic is on pace for the best season of his career, as he's flirting with averaging a triple-double nearly every time he steps on the court. Doncic is averaging career-highs with 33.6 points and 9.2 assists plus 8.3 rebounds per game. 

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The opportunity to focus on basketball has allowed Irving to play to a level that hasn't just elevated his own game, but Doncic's and the entire team's. If Irving can continue to stay healthy and play at the level Dallas hoped when they traded for him and re-signed him this offseason, there's no telling what the ceiling will be for him, Doncic and the Mavs. 

Dallas hosts the Boston Celtics (33-10) on Monday at the American Airlines Center at 8:30 p.m. ET.