It didn’t take long for Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving to make an impact in his first game in over 19 months, writes Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. The nine-time All-Star, who missed all of last season with a torn left ACL, converted a reverse layup over Jabari Smith Jr. on the first possession of Dallas’ 132-115 victory over Houston on Sunday.
“A lot of emotions,” Irving said. “I’m grateful Dusty called the first play for me. I had my mind made up to attack. I saw Jabari switch, so I was just trying to take advantage of the matchup. It felt good to get that out of the way. I was dreaming about how that would go. Just being able to perform at a high level felt amazing.”
Irving, 34, will make $39.5MM this season and holds a $42.4MM player option for 2027/28. The 34-year-old finished with 17 points (on 6-of-13 shooting), three assists and two rebounds in 22 minutes.
“It’s just impressive, his physical condition and his mental condition,” head coach Dusty May said. “And then, he’s an artist, a jazz musician, to see the way he sees the game, thinks the game. I didn’t expect him to play this well. It’s a testament to his work.
“I think guys like he and Coop [CooperFlagg], their gravity, the leverage they provide, makes everyone else exponentially better. Every single player on our roster we put on the floor with those guys have better opportunities.”
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Irving is enthusiastic about the opportunity to play with Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year and the first overall pick in last year’s draft, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. One reporter asked Irving to compare his potential with Flagg to his previous pairings with LeBron James and Kevin Durant. “They’re on their own separate categories and trajectories,” Irving said. “I will say this: I think Coop falls in line with having that competitive nature at a very young age. To be able to lead a team, to be able to be on a great team … And I love that he’s a two-way player. I love that he cares about using his voice as he’s growing into year two.”
After Friday’s preseason opener, May complimented Flagg, who finished that game with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 19 minutes. “When the lights are on, he moves differently,” May said (story via Christian Clark of The Athletic). “*That’s something you don’t ever know until you experience it. His potential is through the roof.*“
Rookie Sergio de Larrea is another Maverick that May has been impressed by, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Sports Journal. “He’s been incredibly valuable,” May said. “Anyone that watched him in Summer League could see that he’s a gamer. When the lights were on, I said that about Coop, he’s similar. He looks more attentive, he looks more in the flow of the game than he does in practice, and he practices well. But yeah, his competitive spirit, he has the factor. I mean, he’s someone that can impact the game in a lot of ways. Being a young guy, there’s still some deficiencies there, and he’s attacking them daily. But yeah, we’ve been very, very pleased with him, especially when the lights are on.” The Spanish guard has averaged 10 points, 5.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 23 minutes per game through two preseason contests.
With Dereck Lively IIstill recovering from foot surgery and lottery pick Morez Johnson Jr. resting, May started Daniel Gafford at center on Sunday, with veteran Dwight Powell receiving the bulk of minutes at the backup five, ahead of Moussa Cisse. May explained why he’s “very, very comfortable” using Powell after the game, Clark tweets. “When you watch the game, it’s fairly obvious his ability to connect and keep the group organized,” May said. “When you look at the age of our second unit, Sergio and Max [Christie] and all these young guys, it just gives us another pressure release and outlet. He generates great looks. He’s a very smart veteran basketball player. So there are a number of different components to the development of young players. Putting him out there with guys who (he) is trying to assist them, make them better, screen well for them. It’s just a decision where we felt like we are playing well with him on the floor.” Powell and Cisse could be competing for the 15th roster spot, as the Mavericks currently have 16 players on standard deals ahead of opening night.