Dallas Mavs Training Camp Report: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Good Vibes, Rookie Hype & More

Following the first two days of Dallas Mavericks training camp, our Mavs Step Back Podcast crew convened to discuss all the hot topics, including Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's press conference comments, the ever-growing hype surrounding rookies Dereck Lively II and O-Max Prosper, and much, much more!

Dalton Trigg | Sep 28, 2023

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Dallas Mavericks

Although the players ultimately have to go out and produce on the court for it to really matter, you can tell a lot about a team from the vibes you get during training camp ... and from what we can tell so far, the Dallas Mavericks have a much different feel to them than they did last season.

The disconnect between Mavs head coach Jason Kidd and Christian Wood, paired with dramatic loss of Jalen Brunson, dampened some of the excitement when training camp opened this time last year. Now, though, the mood has changed dramatically, as the Mavs added several key role players in the offseason to enhance Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's chances of making Dallas a contender once again.

On this special edition of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we discuss all the hot topics that the first two days of training camp had to offer, including Doncic and Irving's encouraging press-conference comments, the ever-growing hype surrounding rookies Dereck Lively II and O-Max Prosper, and much, much more.

"Both rookies, they're great so far," Doncic said. "We played two pickup games, and they were great. The connection between me and Lively — he follows really good, which I was impressed. ... If they work hard, they're going to get minutes, for sure. Jason is going to give them an opportunity, but as I said, they both fight really well from what I saw from them. ... They listen to you and that's all you need."

We also discuss the three-team blockbuster trade from Wednesday that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks to form a star duo with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and what the aftermath of that move could mean for the Mavs. As always, thanks for tuning in, and be sure to hit that subscribe button on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts!

Published Sep 28, 2023

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.