Kyrie Irving Finds Major Rhythm Leading Mavs with 'No Excuses'

Mavs superstar Kyrie Irving has found a significant rhythm since his first game back after a 12-game injury absence.

DALLAS — After a 12-game injury absence caused by a teammate falling on his leg, Kyrie Irving has found a significant rhythm to help lead the Dallas Mavericks in a needed way. Luka Doncic led the NBA in minutes per game while Irving was out; now, Doncic is dealing with injuries, and Irving has helped to set the tone. 

Irving's first game back in the lineup featured an underwhelming loss against the Utah Jazz, who are now surging — going 9-2 in their last 11 games. Irving played within the flow instead of coming out of the gate aggressively, shooting 6-14 from the floor and 2-3 from deep, scoring only 14 points. In that game, Doncic struggled to gut it out through injury, while the supporting cast was underwhelming. 

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The Mavs went on to achieve victories over the Portland Trail Blazers, occurring with and without Doncic. Dallas achieved an impressive win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with Doncic and Irving combining for 69 points. However, there was a letdown loss against the undermanned Memphis Grizzlies the following game. With Doncic sidelined, the Mavs needed a strong bounce-back, with Irving recording 44 points and 10 assists, shooting 15-26 overall, 6-10 from deep, and 8-9 on free throws.

“We recalibrated,” Irving said. “We knew what type of game it was going to be. It was going to take our hyper-focus and our physicality – things we didn’t do against Memphis. I think that’s our identity moving forward where we start the game really physical and manage the game well after that. Our physicality is what separates us.”

Since the Utah game, Irving has averaged 33.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists, with the Mavs going 4-1 in that stretch, including two wins leading the Mavs without Doncic in the lineup. His production occurred with two games that did not require him to be on the court in the fourth quarter. Irving has emphasized being aggressive early in games, whether he's the only superstar. 

"When he's in the lineup too, I feel like that's great for our team when I'm pushing the ball and getting us off to a great start and getting to my spots early, really setting the tone for my defender that's on me and then setting the tone for my teammates, most importantly," Irving said. "Just when they see me attacking like that, I think it motivates them; I think it inspires them to pick their level of play up, just like if Luka was doing the same thing. 

"[Luka's] pushing, as a teammate, you want to be right there with him," Irving explained. We all need help out there as teammates, and when we don't have guys in the lineup, it's definitely a circumstance that we don't want to be in, but we know that we are. It's just a reality situation. So it's the next-man-up mentality. But for us in that locker room, next man up just means coming in with that same focus level as if somebody else was out there. If Luka was out there. D Live was out there and able to fulfill that role and do it at a high level. No excuses."

A significant factor in Irving's elevated play is the emphasis on kicking things off with an aggressive approach, with "no excuses" made to prevent him from doing so. He recently highlighted how the team needs him to set the tone earlier, enabling the group to focus on game management as the night plays out. 

"So, I'm getting off to a good start. I don't have any excuses any more," Irving said. "With this team, whether Luka is in the lineup or not, I got to start off with an aggressive mindset and aggressive mentality and lead the group in that way, then allow the game management to tell you what we need to do for us again."

Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored 32 points flanking Irving against the Knicks, emphasized the value of playing alongside Irving when he's aggressive, opening up the rest of the offense to have favorable spots to attack. With Irving being unselfish in ways many superstars don't tend to be — such as being an active screener and attacking within the flow — Hardaway says the rest of the unit gets elevated. 

“[It] opens up everything for us on the floor, and then we start playing off him. He gives up himself when it comes down to him not having the ball," Hardaway said. "Even with Luka out there, he does a great job of screening off the ball and playing off of guys, playing off their energy. That’s how we all play when that second unit is in there; when ‘77’ takes a break, we play fast and aggressively. It’s our brand of basketball, for sure.”

Irving, who had managed foot issues dating back to the middle of the preseason even before suffering his right heel contusion, has remained diligent with his daily process to continue to perform at a high level. Now that he's had time to regain a rhythm, the results he's provided are back to his typical standard. He's now averaging 24.8 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 23 games, shooting 48.3 percent from the floor, 42.6 percent from deep, and 88.9 percent from the free throw line. 

“It’s just a lot of things that I do that will go unnoticed for the rest of my career, that a lot of people don’t see,” Irving said. “The late nights lifting. The early rising. Getting massages, taking care of your body, and doing everything to mentally prepare. It’s one of the few jobs in the world where you’ve got to be ready at 8 a.m., as soon as you wake up, and be locked in until 7 p.m. Then you’ve got to go out there and prepare to play at a high level and use your IQ, your skillset. To will yourself to play well for your teammates. I think we’re figuring that out as a team: How we prepare. How to prepare when we’re injured, and then also how to sustain the level of play that we’re on now.”

The ongoing focus on sustaining that daily routine has helped Irving to produce a very hot shooting stretch since his first game back from injury. Over his last five performances, he's been masterful as a shot creator — taking 12.6 pull-up jumpers per game, shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 52.0 percent from the perimeter. He's continued hitting catch-and-shoot 3-pointers at a high clip, hitting at a 46.2 percent clip. While he's taken a lower rate of shots from inside 10 feet in this period compared to the whole season, he's shooting 59.5 percent from this distance. He's been highly impressive in getting to his spots and using his creativity and mas to execute.

Throughout Irving's performance against the Knicks, he delivered when momentum stalled for the Mavs. He set the tone early with 18 points in the opening half and no shortage of assists, then scored 20 of the team's 27 points in the third quarter when the rest of the unit struggled to make shots. It was a true superstar display, carrying a team that hit a mid-game slump.

Irving's performance against the Knicks featured frequent picking apart of a talented defensive team with O.G. Anunoby frequently serving as the on-ball defender, fighting through screens to avoid soft switching when possible to make things as difficult as possible. As a superstar does, Irving countered what he faced, even when seeing an early low man from the Knicks attempting to pack the paint to open up the offense.

"It’s a combination of he's an elite shooter, but his ability to handle the ball in tight situations, pick-and-roll, with shiftiness, it pulls your defense. It's a magnet," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Then you have to commit to him, but you also have to fire out and cover shooters and get your body on people so you're not giving up second-shots. I thought our rebounding was pretty good for the most part, except for that one stretch. That was the game really."

The Mavs have now encountered a wide range of different personnel combinations, being the only team not to have a five-man lineup that's exceeded 100 minutes. They've naturally seen the heights of what they can achieve with both superstars in the lineup, they've had to survive relying heavily on Doncic without Irving, and now are working through Irving setting the tone without Doncic.

One of the ways the Mavs provided Irving with touches in the half-court was to get into an empty corner post-up, which he used a few times to get into the corner to play out a triple threat for a jab-step 3-pointer. Moving Irving around in such a way was designed to help him conserve energy to lead the team in the fourth quarter. 

“It makes the game easier, trying to save some of the energy, conserve for the fourth quarter, which I think we did a great job of doing," Irving said. "But, yeah, it gave me the opportunities to create for myself and my teammates.”

Doncic has already been ruled out for Saturday's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans as he manages a right ankle sprain. Irving will have to continue to carry the Mavs, similar to how his superstar teammate did when it was him who was sidelined for his 12-game absence. Can Irving lead a shorthanded team against a squad that has won six of its last seven games entering Friday night's action?