Former Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford has some pretty high hopes for the Dallas Mavericks. Speaking in a chat with The Dallas Morning News, Jamal praised the Mavs’ star duo and even called the partnership between Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving the best in NBA history.
“You can make an argument that these two are the most skilled backcourt players to ever play together. EVER,” said Crawford.
The NBA is a star-drive league, and the Mavericks knew they needed a partner to help back up Luka. Initially, it was Jalen Brunson who became the top sidekick, but after he left for the Knicks in 2022, the Mavs had to give up assets to chase Kyrie. In their first run together last season, they failed to get the team off the ground, but there is hope for a better outcome this year given all the time they’ve had to prepare.
Luka And Kyrie Are A Powerful Duo
Don’t let Dallas’ underwhelming performance last season fool you. On paper, they have the top-end talent to compete with the best in the West. For Luka, his game is only expected to rise as he approaches his 25th birthday. As a 4x All-star already, Doncic has proven himself as one of the 10 best players in the game. Last season, the best of his career so far, Luka set the NBA world on fire with a stat line of 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8 assists per game on 49% shooting.
Meanwhile, for Kyrie Irving, his status as one of the best point guards in basketball remains unchallenged. Whether you love him or hate him his production on the court (when he shows up) is inarguable. Kyrie averaged 27 points in his 20-game stint with the Mavericks and he could be on track for an even better performance this year now that he has a better awareness of his surroundings.
Together, the two superstars form an offensive tandem that can literally do everything on the floor. From making plays to shooting threes and driving the ball to the rim, the Mavericks are set with their star-studded backcourt. The real concern for them going into this new season involves everything else…
Where Will The Mavericks Finish In The West?
After failing to make the play-in last season, the Mavericks ended their season in brutal fashion and it raised a lot of questions about their potential moving forward. One big problem for the Mavs is their defense, which ranked near the bottom after the Irving trade in February. While the Mavericks will never be good on that end of the floor with their current group, there is some hope that they can be good enough to not undermine their scoring advantage.
Perhaps the biggest x-factor of all for the Mavericks is head coach Jason Kidd. He’s shown his value as a coach in the past, but there are doubts that he’s the right person to lead this Mavericks group. Regardless of his future, the team cannot afford to waste any more time with Luka and they will do whatever it takes to preserve their future.
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