In this new Mavericks’ era, Luka Dončić is playing with the best teammate he’s ever had.
Kyrie Irving is a superstar in the prime of his career.
And his presence is changing the way Dončić is playing the game. And while we can debate whether that’s a good thing, his basic approach and skills won’t be impacted.
He’s still going to confound defenses with his ballhandling and his change-of-direction abilities. He’ll still score as much with his brain as he does with his hands, because it’s rare when Luka isn’t the smartest player on the court.
That’s what they used to say about Jason Kidd, too, back when he was one of the NBA’s best point guards.
And he sees more than most people do about how Dončić is adjusting to the arrival of Irving as his backcourt running mate. It’s showing up in some ways already, such as getting catch-and-drive opportunities in the flow of the offense.
“Before Kai, he might have had two or three (situations) where he could catch and go,” Kidd said Friday. “The other night (against San Antonio), he might have had eight. It’s a different game for him now to be able to catch and shoot or catch and run with it. So when he’s able to catch-and-go and use his body to get fouls and get to the free-throw line, it’s a different game.
“And then, you sprinkle in the pass and this is something he’s taking full advantage of. I think he’s doing a great job with the reads.”
It’s a part of building chemistry with Irving, which won’t happen overnight. But the way Dončić piled up 28 points and 10 assists on Thursday in the 142-116 win over the Spurs – and not having to play in the fourth quarter – is a great sign that the efficiency is picking up.
“It’s going great, in my eyes,” said Tim Hardaway Jr., fresh off a 22-point showing Thursday. “He (Irving) brings a certain pace to the game that we know we have to be able to keep up with. And we got the guys to do that – (guys) that can run the floor. So a lot of fast-break opportunities, a lot of drives and kicks. The pace has been great.
“(And) I think Luka found a new kind of energy having Kai instilled in our offense. It’s been great.”
The Mavericks will get another test Sunday afternoon when LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers invade American Airlines Center for a nationally televised game.
It’s going to be a marquee moment in the season, considering Irving and James won a championship in Cleveland and remain close friends. But the emphasis for the Mavericks is continuing the growth of this core.
Irving had a statement moment right before halftime against the Spurs when he isolated on the wing and shook off a couple of defenders to get a crowd-wowing layup.
“They’re starting to be comfortable with each other on the floor, not passive as you can see the way Kai ended that last possession on the right wing and he didn’t let the opponent get the last shot, got a layup,” Kidd said. “I think his plus-minus was 34 in 29 minutes – pretty good. His ability to not just score but when he gets his teammates wide-open looks like that, the game gets easier. You can see those two feeding off one another.”
Kleber getting close? While nothing is certain, Maxi Kleber appears to be nearing a return from the hamstring injury that required surgery in mid-December.
The 6-10 Kleber is perhaps the Mavericks’ best defender in the paint and will offer an extra level or rim protection.
Before the injury, suffered at a practice session on Dec. 13, Kleber was averaging 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 37 percent from three-point range.
“We’ll see,” Kidd said when asked about Kleber returning before this six-game home stand ends. “He was good today (Friday). He feels good. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He’s going in the right direction and hopefully on this home stand, he gets to play.”
Briefly: The Mavericks will be playing the second of six consecutive home games before finishing with 10 of 16 on the road. “It’s good,” Kidd said of the home stand. “Especially with some new pieces. We don’t have to travel. We get to practice. Before the break, we didn’t have a lot of practice time. It was show and go. And the guys did a good job with that. But now they have some practice to work on some details. It’s very helpful.” . . . After practice Friday, Irving got into a long, entertaining shooting competition with assistant coach Kristi Toliver. At one point, Toliver canned 10 NBA three-pointers in a row, which shouldn’t be surprising considering she was a three-time WNBA all-star and shot 38.4 percent from three-point range for her career. Kidd said he didn’t know who came out on top in the shootout, which was over after interview sessions ended. “KT and Dud (assistant Jared Dudley) shot after shootaround (Thursday) and I think she was upset that she lost to Dud. But those two (Toliver and Irving) were going back and forth. Two great shooters.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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