Watch: Kyrie Irving penetrates the paint before throwing left-handed lob to Derrick Lively Jr.
Eight-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving is sharpening for another run with the Dallas Mavericks in the new season of the league. He is expected to have a more significant role this time around, particularly in facilitating for his teammates, after having more preparation with the team.
The 31-year-old former rookie of the year provided a glimpse of what his teammates should expect from him come the 2023-24 NBA season in their final preseason match against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, October 20.
Midway into the first quarter, "Kai" drove to the basket from the top of the key and threw a left-handed lob to rookie Derrick Lively II for the jam, sending the home crowd into celebration.
Watch Kyrie Irving and rookie Derrick Lively II connect for an impressive jam
Kyrie Irving joined the Mavericks from the Brooklyn Nets midway into last season to form an explosive backcourt with resident Dallas superstar Luka Doncic. He played 20 games and averaged 27 points, six assists, five rebounds and 1.3 steals in 38 minutes of play. They, however, fell short in their playoff push.
In the offseason, the Duke product re-signed with the Mavs for three years, worth $126 million. He is hoping to shore up his connection with his teammates, especially with fellow All-Star Doncic, to help the Mavericks turn potential into success.
Kyrie Irving has seen limited time in preseason but has been with the team throughout and is ready to play when the regular season begins next week. Dallas will play state rivals San Antonio Spurs in its season-opener on October 25 in an away game.
Kyrie Irving wants tandem with Luka Doncic to work
When Irving joined Doncic and the Mavericks midway last season, a lot was expected from it, particularly from the union of the two NBA All-Stars. But while they had great moments together, they were not enough to translate to much success.
This time around, one-time league champion Irving wants his tandem with Doncic to see its full potential, with them feeding off one another as well as bringing out the best from the rest of the team.
Irving told ESPN in an interview:
"I think we were being too passive with one another. We're both killers on the court, everybody knows it. We want to win. So we just have to continue to have that consistent mentality together and lead the team as best we can alongside other guys that have experience in this league or young guys that we have to coach even more.
“So it's all been a learning experience. It was so quick last year and it was so much pressure on us to win now, win big, and 'It's Luka and Kyrie, why can't you guys win games?' So we were answering a lot of questions that honestly I don't think we were ready for.”
In the 2022-23 season, Dallas missed the playoffs with a 38-44 record.