Why Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving pairing is off to shaky start: Mavericks must fix defense, chemistry problems

The Mavericks made a move for Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline, hoping the eight-time All-Star would help them climb up the Western Conference standings.

So far, that hasn’t been the case.

Irving has only played in seven games with the Mavericks, but four of those contests ended in a loss. Dallas is also just 1-4 in games Irving and Luka Doncic have played together. Their lone win together came against a San Antonio team that recently lost 16 straight games.

Why is the Doncic-Irving pairing off to a slow start? And should the Mavericks be concerned?

Let’s take a closer look.

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Why Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving pairing is off to shaky start

The numbers

The Mavericks have been lights out offensively with Irving on board. They’ve been scoring at a rate of 120.4 points per 100 possessions during that stretch, which would give them the best offensive rating in the league on the season by a mile.

The defense has been a different story. Their defensive rating of 118.1 would rank 28th in the league on the season.

Some of that could have to do with Maxi Kleber only recently returning from an extended absence due to a hamstring injury, but the Mavericks sacrificed defense to get Irving. They were a much bigger team with Spencer Dinwiddie at guard, and Dorian Finney-Smith has proven himself to be a dynamic perimeter defender.

If this Mavericks team is going to make noise this season, it’s almost certainly going to be on the strength of their offense, but they can’t afford to be as porous as they’ve been defensively.

Asked about concerned for Mavs’ defense, Jason Kidd did a complete 180 from last year (and even 2 weeks ago):

“No. We’re here to outscore people. People come to see the points, not 80-80. We’re here to score. This is the new NBA. Interior defense, we’ll figure it out.”

— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) February 14, 2023

The chemistry

Nobody should be surprised that the Mavericks have been dynamite offensively with Doncic and Irving.

Doncic is a walking mismatch, capable of scoring against just about anyone while being able to make every pass in the book. Irving isn’t the passer that Doncic is, but he’s an elite scorer. Not only is he a dazzling one-on-one player, but he’s also a great shooter who knows how to play next to ball-dominant stars.

Possessions like the one below give you an idea of how much pressure the two of them put on teams when they’re on the court together. Doubling Doncic was already a dangerous game before the Mavericks acquired Irving, but adding him to the mix gives them another excellent finisher and connector.

With Doncic and Irving on the court, the Mavs’ offensive rating climbs to a ridiculous 125.0.

However, there have been some bumps in the road.

Two of the Mavericks’ four losses with Irving and Doncic in the lineup came down to the final possession of the game. Against the Timberwolves, the Mavericks didn’t even get a shot off.

“We didn’t get a clear shot, we just passed [to] each other, but I think it was a great defense,” Doncic said. “I was trying to get him a shot, he was trying to give me a shot. At the end, nobody got a shot, but he was going off.”

Against the Pacers, the Mavericks drew up the final play for Irving on a night in which he finished with 16 points on 7-for-18 shooting instead of Doncic, who had 39 points on 14-for-25 shooting.

Irving got off a shot this time, but it didn’t fall.

After the Pacers game, Irving talked about the pressure he’s felt since joining the Mavericks.

“The last two games, I just haven’t played with the fluidity of my game and just complementing others and just doing the little things to get us wins,” Irving said. “I mean, it’s natural. It comes with it. And also, as a human being, I just naturally want to fit in with everybody and not step on anyone’s toes.

“But the magnitude of the moments sometimes warrants special people to go up and beyond and do the extra things. I’m at that place now, but I think I just need to scale back and let the game come to me and flow into it, because when we’re playing that tense, I can feel the intensity around me. I think I’ve just got to settle in and stay poised.”

There is always a learning curve when one star joins another, but Dallas doesn’t really have the luxury of time.

Should the Mavericks be concerned with early returns?

Losing to the Pacers dropped the Mavericks to 32-31 on the season, bumping them down to seventh place in the Western Conference standings. They have only 19 games remaining to move back into the top six. Otherwise, they’ll have to fight for a playoff seed in the Play-In Tournament.

If that wasn’t enough, Irving will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. There’s no guarantee he’ll be a Maverick beyond this season.

“It puts unwarranted distractions on us and our team,” Irving responded when asked about his contract situation. “I’ve dealt with it before, and it’s very emotionally draining to ask questions like, ‘What’s the long term? What’s the long term?'”

The good news for the Mavericks is they have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league. They finished last season strong en route to a Western Conference Finals appearance. Time will tell if they can make another run to that round, but they’re set up to close the regular season strong once again.

Kyrie Irving contract details

Irving is earning $38.9 million this season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

As detailed by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Mavericks can offer Irving a two-year, $83 million extension during the season or a four-year, $220.6 million extension during free agency. Irving will also be eligible for a five-year, $272 million contract if he re-signs with the Mavericks as a free agent.

In addition to the Mavericks, the Lakers, Clippers and Suns were reportedly interested in trading for Irving at the deadline.