The Dallas Mavericks are yet to begin their 2024-2025 preseason campaign. Before facing the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, the team conducted a special practice session, with fans getting the opportunity to watch it. Kyrie Irving was seen drawing up a play for his team during this session.
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Jason Kidd was very excited to see the veteran guard take the load of his coaching responsibilities. He cheered on the 32-year-old from the sidelines before the latter dismissed the team huddle.
Mavs reporter Nick Angstadt shared a clip on X, which captured the whole thing. Irving was so busy explaining the play in the team huddle that he didn’t notice anything else. A few players were caught smiling after seeing how naturally Kyrie played the role of a coach.
“Okay! Okay, let’s go. Let’s see it. Let’s see it, coach,” Kidd proudly encouraged Irving from the bench.
Coach Kyrie in the huddle.
Wait for Jason Kidd looking on with pride “let’s see it coach” pic.twitter.com/buND0P8Bct
— Nick Angstadt (@NickVanExit) October 6, 2024
Irving has been a part of the league for 13 seasons. Therefore, he has the experience to lead the Mavs players.
Kai is also similar to Kidd in many aspects. Both are traditional point guards with high basketball IQ and Championship experience. Moreover, Kyrie has also revealed an interest in coaching in the past. There are many moments in Irving’s career where he has displayed the ability to draw plays.
Meanwhile, J-Kidd has issued a stern warning to the league regarding Irving’s improvements in the upcoming season.
Could we see Irving play at an All-Star level once again?
Kyrie Irving had an impressive 20-game stint midway into the 2022-2023 season. In an average of 38.2 minutes per game, the shifty guard recorded 27 points and 6 assists on a highly efficient 51% FG. These stats took a minor hit in the subsequent season – 25.6 points and 5.2 assists on 49.7% FG per game.
During the brief stint in the 2022-2023 season, Irving spent the majority of the games with Luka Doncic sidelined. But Doncic was available for 70 games in the 2023-2024 campaign. One can assume that Luka being a ball-dominant player played a role in Irving’s dip in production. However, he took the same number of attempts in both campaigns.
While Doncic and co. will be making a push to win the title this season, fans can also expect Irving to perform at an All-Star level once again. Jason Kidd revealed his expectations from Irving to a reporter during the training camp. The veteran coach boldly claimed that his star guard was going to be better than the previous season.
The Mavericks had a successful season last year, reaching the 2024 NBA Finals. But Kyrie missed out on an All-Star selection. We’ll have to see if the 2016 NBA Champion manages to win his ninth All-Star nod this year.
