Count Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown among those who are absolutely mesmerized by the overall skills of Mavericks
guard Kyrie Irving.
“It’s unbelievable,” Brown said. “That’s why I say I think, quote unquote, pound for pound, he might be the best scorer out there,” Brown said. “It’s just unbelievable how he can score the basketball.”
Irving and Brown have a long history together. Brown was Irving’s head coach during the 2013-’14 season when the two were with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the former remembers when the latter used to dazzle folks with his spectacular ball handling and overall skill set.
“It amazed me back then how he was able to finish in traffic,” Brown said. “I don’t know how he was able to do that – the English that he puts on the ball and all that other stuff.”
Irving averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals for Brown during the ’13-’14 season, and also was named to his second All-Star game that season. For Brown, the memories are everlasting.
Early during Sunday’s game, Irving dribbled inside the paint, slithered past a pair of Sacramento defenders, and somehow scored to tie the game at 8-8. That was one of the head-scratching plays that reminded Brown of the days when the two were on the same team.
Of Irving, Brown said: “It’s just a special, special skill set that he has when it comes to his feel of scoring the basketball from all three levels at his size.”
In Sunday’s 129-113 loss to the Kings, Irving scored 23 points and was 8-of-17 from the field.
BRIEFLY: Mavs guard Seth Curry (right hip soreness) and forward Maxi Kleber (right small toe dislocation) missed Sunday’s game. . .The Mavs have been pleasantly surprised with the play of forward Derrick Jones Jr., who did enough in training camp to work himself into the starting lineup. “What he brings to the table, he’s a pro (and) he plays the game the right way,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s all about the team and just understanding it’s about his defense. But he plays both ends. He’s getting a lot of great looks with the three, he’s playmaking out of the double-team, and then he gives us athleticism that we don’t have. So, he checks a lot of boxes for us, and he’s been great so far.”. .Kings coach Mike Brown praised the Mavs for acquiring former Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams during the offseason. “Grant’s always been a pro,” Brown said. “He’s a guy that can not only stabilize a locker room, but uplift a locker room the right way. He’s been on some very competitive high-level teams. He’s a pro’s pro, a big strong guy that’s not afraid of the moment. He’s going to speak his mind and he has a skill set offensive, which is to catch and shoot the basketball. He knows who he is, and he normally doesn’t try to get too far outside of his box. And when you do that in our league, you can make a lot of money.”
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