NBA – The Dallas Mavericks of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, a resounding failure and many questions

What a downfall. What a descent into hell, even. Fourth in the West when bringing in Kyrie Irving in early February, the Dallas Mavericks are now eleventh with a negative record (37 wins, 42 losses). Conference finalists last year, they could miss the playoffs and play the best play-in this season. A terrible disappointment for a franchise which took a risky bet during the exercise by bringing together the second talent it lacked around Luka Doncic, but this by sacrificing two precious duty players and above all by breaking its dynamic.

The Mavs have lost seven of their last eight games and are seeing qualification slip slowly through their fingers. With two losses against the modest Hornets in the lot. The record of the Texas team with Doncic and Irving together on the ground is also catastrophic: four victories in fifteen games. The worst results in NBA history for a pair of players named All-Stars in the same season. Just that.

Despite the presence of two such strong individuals, likely to make a difference at any time, Dallas is particularly struggling in the tight endgames. Jason Kidd’s team has won only one of eleven matches decided on a last attempt, including the last defeat dating back to Sunday, a short loss against the Hawks after extra time (130-132). This formation is on the edge of the abyss. Maybe even on the verge of implosion. And even if it were to hang the top-8 of the Western Conference by miracle, the choices made by the leaders for several months strongly resemble a failure. Even a fiasco.

But what happens to Luka Doncic?

Luka Doncic should not be blameless. The Slovenian prodigy cannot legitimately pose as an MVP candidate without leading his group to the playoffs or even to 40 wins per season. He is the only player among the ten best in the league to have failed to guide his own. Of course, it does work. The Mavericks remain a good team in his presence (32-32) because he is strong enough to erase the many weaknesses of the workforce. While being too lonely, hence the idea of ​​bringing in Irving.

Playing with another super talent is a necessary step in the development of Doncic. Because he will never go all the way without solid support around him. If he shows more interest in his new duo than in the one he once formed with Kristaps Porzingis, the former Real Madrid maestro has not created a real synergy with the American leader either until here. The sample is very small, admittedly, and the two stars are making efforts to maintain a spirit of camaraderie. But they don’t necessarily pull each other up. They take turns ball in hand, basically.

Well, maybe that will come. The problem is almost elsewhere. Doncic’s body language is disturbing. More and more as the season progresses. He himself seems aware that his attitude is not the right one. “It’s really frustrating. I think it shows on the floor. Sometimes I feel like I’m not myself anymore. I used to have fun, to smile on the pitch. But all that’s left is frustration for reasons that go beyond basketball.“, confides the person concerned. The young man of 24 years admitted to being plagued by personal problems which strongly affects his state of mind.

His annoyance is palpable. He is constantly grumbling, raising his arms, challenging referee decisions or complaining. It affects his teammates. His leadership isn’t quite there at this point in his career. And it shows in the results of the Mavericks, an irregular team capable of the best in one game and then the worst the next day. It also feels that Doncic is tired. Put on the kneecaps by the seasons which follow one another, with possessions in spades every evening, without forgetting the international competitions during the off-season. He needs a break.

Kyrie Irving’s transfer weakened an already thin squad

Kyrie Irving would be the voice of the dressing room since his arrival. It sounds funny and almost ironic. But the veteran is actually presented as exemplary under the tunic of the Mavericks. Both on and off the field. “He will be blameless until he signs his new contract“, warns an unnamed leader. “Trouble will come later.“The former NBA champion, whom nobody wanted before the start of the season, still hopes to reach the maximum when he is on the market in July. In the meantime, he is doing his job. He provides scoring as he has done that everywhere he’s been in this league, and he’s also a mentor to younger players.

He’s not directly the cause of the franchise’s problems, which arguably run deeper. But his transfer depleted an already light rotation. The Mavericks lost their best defenseman with the departure of Dorian Finney-Smith in return. They are calamitous on rebounds and unable to slow down their opponents – especially in the racket – every night. Irving and Doncic are a formidable forward pair, and Dallas has 117+ points on 100 possessions while on the court. The equivalent of the second-best team in the league if only their minutes counted. On the other hand, they collect more than 114 in return. The ratio remains positive. But the roster is overall too weak in terms of skill, defensive versatility, etc.

It makes you wonder if breaking your figure as soon as possible, just weeks after the arrival of Kyrie Irving, is not the best thing that can happen to the Mavericks. The leaders are going to have the opportunity to look at themselves in a mirror very quickly and possibly admit failure by … not extending the All-Star point guard. Or not at most, which could push him to get the money elsewhere. While his attitude is exemplary now, the many recent experiences show that Irving has a very consistent ability to blow up a franchise at one point or another.

Missing the playoffs could also allow them to keep their pick in the next draft. This one will go to the Knicks if he’s outside the top-10. The Mavericks have the ninth-worst record so far. An opportunity to draft a young and cheap reinforcement … or to trade it for more interesting assets in the race for the playoffs in 2024. A huge stroke of luck in the lottery, even a miracle, and the franchise would find itself to pick from the top-3. The resounding failure can also lead management to wonder if Jason Kidd is really the man for the job. He has not necessarily made his group grow and is already showing limits.

Well, maybe that’s the best thing for Luka Doncic. Maybe that’s what he needs at this point in his ascension. A slap to remind him that talent is not enough. A long period of rest to recover, mentally and physically. The young man tends to let himself go during the off-season and there is obviously a risk of seeing him out of shape again if he were to not play for almost 6 months. But he would be faced with a test: a moment of reflection on to bring him to realize that he too must evolve in order to never relive such a nightmarish season again.