Coach K believes Luka Doncic will slay NBA teaming up with Kyrie Irving: “If he was a boxer he'd win every fight with a knockout”
Will Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic fit well together in Dallas, or will the controversial guard create problems for the young Slovenian superstar? Those questions have surfaced in the wake of Irving's trade to the Dallas Mavericks.
While questions about Irving's ability to keep his focus on the court persist, analysts have questioned their fit offensively. Given that both men are ball-dominant players, talk of how they will divide up touches has garnered plenty of attention. Although the Mavericks' heliocentric offense has shown it has a ceiling, Irving may not be the solution.
The way Mike Krzyzewski sees things, with Irving serving as the team's co-star, Doncic is going to thrive. Time and time again, defenses have double- and triple-teamed Doncic, forcing him to kick to teammates. While those shots used to be taken by role players, now the Mavericks have Irving.
Coach K spoke during a recent ESPN appearance to discuss the fit between the two, saying:
"Doncic is, you know, the most unique player in the NBA. And his attitude is, yeah, if he was a boxer, he'd win every fight with a knockout. And so Kyrie and Doncic, to use their talents together, that's going to be really interesting to see, and I know (Dallas coach) Jason (Kidd) will be able to do that."
You can see his comments in the video above starting just before the five-minute mark.
Kyrie Irving's off-court distractions and impact on Luka Doncic
Of course, any potential Kyrie Irving news wouldn't be complete without a little bit of controversy. After being traded to the Dallas Mavericks, Irving did a scrub of his Instagram, which included his apology earlier in the season for sharing antisemitic material.
His deletion of the post quickly made headlines, resulting in his first news conference with the team being largely dominated by talk regarding the post. It felt like early November all over again when Irving's controversy was dominating NBA headlines.
Irving was questioned by media members about deleting the post, something he has done with other photos in the past. In typical Irving fashion, his response left many with more questions than answers.
"I delete a lot of things on my Instagram. I've had things that have happened before in my life, probably not as drastic as that moment, which led to a lot of confusion and uncertainty I felt like about what I meant and what I stand for.
"I had to sit up with these mics and explain to the world who I am, and I know who I am. I delete things all the time, and it's no disrespect to anyone within the community. Just living my life."
With the talk surrounding Irving already shifting towards off-the-court topics rather than his play on the court, it will be interesting to see how things play out. With the Mavericks sitting in sixth place in a stacked Western Conference, Irving could provide the team with a much-needed spark if he can keep the controversy to a minimum.
You can see his comments about deleting his apology in the video above shortly before the nine-minute mark.