Kyrie Irving went through several rough phases in his career, and more often than not, for non-basketball stuff. In December 2023, he revealed that he finally found his “peace of mind” after arriving at the Dallas Mavericks. Now, the man is on a mission to acquire another NBA championship and develop a superstar in Luka Doncic. Brian Windhorst endorsed Kai’s maturity on ESPN’s Get Up highlighting that he is no longer a toxic locker room presence and has flipped the narrative in his favor.
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The ESPN analyst recalled Irving’s struggles to adapt with the Celtics’ superstars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and then, Kevin Durant and James Harden in Brooklyn Nets. As a result, he wasn’t a sought-after entity in the free market and only the Mavs dared to give him a prolific three-year, $120 million deal.
Windhorst acknowledged that the 2016 NBA champion hasn’t been in the headlines, since the contract, for any wrong reasons. He even has been the guiding light for the Mavericks in their stellar 2023-24 season campaign.
“Kyrie has completely pivoted… Now you look at him, he does everything a leader does A to Z. He is in absolute peak physical condition.. He has done everything a star player does because he has gone through failures, now we are living with Kyrie in full bloom here,” Windhorst said.
.@WindhorstESPN believes Kyrie is rewriting his career narrative.
"For the last seven years, what Kyrie has been doing is breaking up big twos and big threes. … Kyrie has completely pivoted. … We are living with Kyrie in full bloom here." pic.twitter.com/vGMJ7w2rR6
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 27, 2024
The Dallas Mavericks are now reaping the benefits of Irving’s improved composure. As per Doncic, he is the calm one in the locker room and keeps him cool in heated in-game situations.
Besides, in Game 3, leading from the front, he added 33 points, three rebounds, and four assists, and pushed an explosive Minnesota side to a 0-3 hole. He is consistently coming alive in crucial final moments, perfectly balancing his playstyle with Luka Magic. The duo seems to be on a winning run.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving pairing is Finals-bound
The Doncic-Irving duo put a knife in the Timberwolves’ hearts by combining for 66 points, sharing the scoring honors evenly. This scintillating performance has now put the Mavs just one game away from the NBA Finals.
Windhorst touched upon how the Kai-Luka duo has outplayed the Wolves scoring duo of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns because of which now the Mavs have one foot in the Finals.
“When you look at what Kyrie and Luka are doing, compare it to what Ant Edwards and Karl Towns are doing, that right there is the series, that right there is the finals,” Brian Windhorst expressed.
.@WindhorstESPN says the Mavs are headed for the NBA Finals 😤
"When you look at what Kyrie and Luka are doing compared to what Ant Edwards and Karl Towns are doing … that right there is why the Mavericks are going to the Finals." pic.twitter.com/pGc1itT88b
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 27, 2024
Thus, Irving’s inner calm has translated into a winning harmony for the squad that trusted him when no one else did. The thunderous guard has always let his game talk but has now brought unprecedented maturity to the table. His tale sets an exceptional example of putting your head down and putting in work regardless of the public perceptions.
