Grading Irving and Doncic’s on-court fit for the Mavericks

Kyrie Irving stunned the NBA community on Friday afternoon by requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Since Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn took over, the Nets have seemingly become legitimate contenders, and it appeared as though peace had finally settled over the previously turbulent Irving era in Brooklyn. That peace, as we all know, was fleeting. Just two days after requesting a trade, Irving was shipped to the Dallas Mavericks, signaling that Brooklyn may have been just as ready to end their association with the point guard as he was.

Of course, when talking about Irving, it is nearly impossible to look past the heaps of off-court issues that he has been involved with; however, for the sake of this article, I will strictly be examining the on-court implications of this trade. Mavericks star Doncic is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season and has cemented himself as one of the best players in the NBA. However, it has never been more apparent than this season that for the Mavericks to reach their title aspirations, Doncic needs a suitable co-star in Dallas.

For example, in the seven games that Doncic has missed this season, the Mavericks are 0-7. It appears that the Dallas front office agreed with that sentiment as well since they too were willing to look past the off-court antics and pair Irving with their young superstar. So, let’s take a look at how the two players might fit on the court.