How good is the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving offense?

Is Kyrie Irving enough to push the Dallas Mavericks into championship contention? Dallas acquired Irving at the 2023 NBA trade deadline from Brooklyn to pair with MVP candidate Luka Doncic. This detailed film breakdown & scouting report examines how Irving fits alongside Doncic, how he can expand the Dallas offense, and what the Mavs might have to do to jump to the next level.
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Book: www.amazon.com/Thinking-Baske...
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Website: www.backpicks.com
Twitter: @elgee35
Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
www.pbpstats.com @bballport
www.basketball-reference.com
stats.nba.com
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
Music by Nemesis (Epic Choir)
#ThinkingBasketball

[@epicvicroyepic6725]

Goated channel

[@murkzyyrg]

Fax, I’m so glad I found this channel months ago

[@percsie3072]

@Don't Read My Profile Photo get a job

[@carlogaytan7010]

So many people just parrot what Ben says, cuss he's one of the only ones that analyzes the data.

[@fragger6599]

Facts

[@cbrown940]

Rare content. Always cooked to perfection, thanks!

[@j4755]

The things the Mavs are missing the most right now is a premier rim protector. They’re missing Maxi badly rn but he’s still overtasked being asked to basically carry the defense single-handedly. A player like Claxton is exactly who they need

[@random1234da]

If Poeltl didn't go to the Raptors he'd be a perfect fit for the Mavs.

[@hispeedy9111]

Agreed but also need a great perimeter defender. I mean they picked up Justin Holiday but I don’t think he’ll be the defensive anchor they need at the perimeter guarding faster guys like fox, Shai, curry etc

[@smittywerbenjagermanjensen320]

They could pickup Dwight

[@j4755]

@@hispeedy9111yea I still see them being a few pieces away from a true championship level team. A high level rim protector and a good defensive wing are priority #1 and 2

[@jibraelnadela281]

why are you the mavericks need a center😫

[@VoltaDoMar]

I've been following the Mavs all season, and I can tell you it's both exhilarating and kind of frightening how valuable Josh Green has become. Exhilarating because he's taken the leap into such a valuable all-around player who fits with their best players, but also kind of frightening, like, "Should we really be depending on a third-year player to be our third best player every night?" But, they don't have a choice at this point. Josh has made himself indispensable

[@thegreatestjohn]

i agree i’ve hardly missed a mavs game this season and when he was out injured there was a lot of points where we missed his electricity both on offense and defense but as you said weird that he seems to be the third best player on the court considering the aspirations the team has

[@de4ds1ghtcsgo94]

@@thegreatestjohn his potential is botderline all star. Same with hardy. Th8s team has all but 1 piece to dominate

[@kohcoh]

3rd year is typically the breakout year for most guys who take a step forward in the NBA.

[@Mark-db1ok]

I'm becoming a big Josh Green fan and i'm really happy with how he's elevated his game. He's shown some good defensive instincts at times, so I'm hopeful between that and his athleticism he can replace much of what DFS did on defense. And he seems to have much more to offer on offense than DFS did. Time will tell...

[@AkshayKumar-fj3ks]

@@de4ds1ghtcsgo94 Lol. There's no defense. You can't even win basic games.

[@goated3285]

Idk we would have to see them together a whole season to say. Team chemistry makes a big difference especially once they get in a rhythm of knowing each other & each other’s spots & weaknesses. It’s good to see Luka being welcoming to Kyrie as well so I do hope it can work for at least now.

[@Christopher-dd1ph]

lmao. its been a week bro. put some respect on kyrie's name and give him some credit for his ability to piss off teammates.

[@willmarinac5201]

And vice versa. Can't remember seeing Kyrie so engaged. That alone holds promise for not only the Dynamic Duo but the Mavericks once they get the other 3 pieces right ✅

[@jpgcz]

@@willmarinac5201 kyrie’s leaving when the season ends lmao

[@jesussaviour9304]

It should be noted that we let Brunson bring the ball up the floor in the Suns series (starting at game 3). It was a big turning point and we should allow Kyrie and Josh to run transitions

[@JimBrave-vi9ji]

Brunson was a smart player. He knew the rhythm best for the team and Doncic even more than Doncic knew. Brunson is old school Real Basketball always thinking. like a Mark Jackson or John Stockton.

[@steviechampagne]

@@JimBrave-vi9jii think Kyrie is even smarter. He will figure it out just as well, and he’s a 100x better than Brunny

[@dundalis]

@@JimBrave-vi9ji That’s just BS. No one cared about double teaming Brunson. It’s much easier to make smart decisions when you don’t have to worry about double/triple teams. People don’t understand this when they talk about Luka ball pounding etc. The offensive rating for this team isn’t in the same stratosphere when Luka is off the court and it’s because he collapses all defenses on top of himself like a pack of cards.

[@johnmarkson1998]

@@JimBrave-vi9ji you clearly did not watch the mavs. brunson is VERY overrated.

[@JimBrave-vi9ji]

@@dundalis you're BS

[@devinbooker4151]

Luka’s lack of movement off ball & his poor effort on defense seem even more glaring now that they have Kyrie. Before you could always somewhat justify it because Luka was literally doing everything. He doesn’t have that excuse anymore. Luka needs to move without the ball

[@osirisra1476]

He's not in good enough shape.

[@readmycomment3707]

@@osirisra1476 He just dropped 36 the other night? Where do you dweebs get your takes from?

[@jakeartese6632]

I don’t necessarily agree with what he “needs” to improve on in the sense that a player changing and adding skills and move sets affect his other ones like Charles Barkley being to big then to small or kristaps putting on more muscle and changing his play style, I think that if a player is so good that he is in the conversation for best basketball player in the world and he doesn’t play defence that well than the answer is to build a team that gets rid of that problem Dallas can’t afford to loose the skill set luka has just so that he gets up the floor quicker if anything make the team more similar to him (except for the defence) and I agree with the movement without the ball to an extent btw, I’m not trying to grill you or anything I just wanna give you a different perspective

[@Docrivershater]

@@jakeartese6632 thats a bad argument ngl the guy can always improve and asking him to be moderately active off ball is the bare minimum as an NBA player, certainly for a player of his caliber, its not going to ruin the rest of his game man lmao

[@Jarhead1407]

As a Dallas fan, I'm always super impressed by this channel's videos on the Mavs. Every compliment and criticism spoken was spot on. Also, if you would've told me a year ago that TB would be making videos giving love to Josh Green I would've thought you were insane. It's crazy how big of a leap he has taken on both ends of the floor.

[@ThinkingBasketball]

I appreciate that!

[@emcee_spokesman]

It's been awesome to watch Green blossom. He's exactly the player they've needed him to be. Despite all the patience Carlisle had in developing DFS, he never had the same care when it came to Brunson and Josh. Good to see them both succeed after he moved on

[@txmoneymantx]

The Kyrie and Luka duo is gonna be valuable in playoffs when offenses become stagnant

[@AnkitSharma-qm7sg]

playoff luka is a monster🔥😎

[@allenleexyz]

@@AnkitSharma-qm7sg True. also Kyrie!

[@jordancromwell]

First round exits literally no defense

[@onlyfacts3178]

if they get to the play-offs ahahahah

[@goldencoast8896]

😂😂😂😂😂😂What play off are talking about

[@yoinkhaha]

Dallas is gonna learn the hard way that sparkling scoring ability only wins playoffs when combined with some truly versatile defenders.

[@pavelmakarov3565]

or Dallas is gonna learn that putting trust in well known nutcase and team cancer is a bad idea

[@noivern1380]

@@pavelmakarov3565 he can’t be any worse than Rondo was.

[@noivern1380]

@@pavelmakarov3565 Dallas is the perfect place for kyrie anyways. They believe in all that flat earth crazy stuff too

[@wataruik2244]

I just don't understand with Kidd as coach they don't see this issue?!

[@arrow23]

@@pavelmakarov3565 preach.

[@MakimasGoodBoy]

Yooooo this was a fantastic video!!! I loved the second half of it where you gave the tips for success. All great points

[@zainamir997]

The video quality has gone up up up and the commentary is still great as always. great video man!

[@Jeff_2x]

This will work smoothly imo it’s just their defense will be the issue

[@JulioLeonFandinho]

so, it's not gonna work... both will statpad like maniacs and the rest of the team will be screwed

[@geordiejones5618]

This is exactly why the Nets didnt work. All offense no defense. Easy first round exit this year and if Kyrie goes the Mavs are beyond fucked.

[@TYLERbOONE1080]

@@geordiejones5618well the nets have Claxton who has played like an all nba defender

[@ninjedi6710]

@@geordiejones5618 no. that stpid covid mandate was the reason it didnt work.

[@Thatboygtmike]

@@geordiejones5618 nets didn’t work because they couldn’t stay healthy lmaoo be real with yourself

[@EJAlwayz]

I searched for a real breakdown of Luka and Kylie’s play together, it’s strengths and weaknesses couldn’t find one till now. Excellent work sir. Subbed

[@mitsospon7720]

People forget or don't know that in Real Madrid Luka used to play big minutes next to a ball dominant player with high usage, Sergio Llull and did great.

[@athunderfan]

its def dont know, media people aren't aware of basketball outside of the nba

[@TheTEN24]

Great content as always had never heard of green until one of your commenters last video on the mavs it’ll be interesting to see how this pairing works in the playoffs

[@TheRobins1m]

Thank you! I love Josh Green. I’m biased because I’m Australian but I just think he plays with so much energy and Dallas need that a lot of the time. One of those guys whose stats don’t tell the whole story I think and, as you say, a great foil for players like Luka and Kyrie. I really hope Luka and Kyrie start to gel.

[@flingstrike8893]

Im from Sweden and I love Josh Green too so you're not biased ^^ alot of games have felt like a shore to watch and the only joy has been to see how much Green has developed, think it was crucial for the team that he wasnt traded

[@Minhyung0424]

What a breakdown, thanks for some high quality analysis.

[@fpbaby8513]

I like luka but he’s literally just 2015-20 Harden, down to the same weaknesses. From habitually showing up out of shape, not putting effort into defense, dribbling a lot, taking a lot of shots, drawing a lot of fouls; I wonder sometimes why he gets more praise/less hate than Harden did. Not that he doesn’t deserve praise, he’s an incredible player, but how come Harden was endlessly mocked and derided for dribbling and not playing defense, while Luka at worst gets “he’ll have to work on it.” Once again, I have nothing against Luka, I’m just genuinely curious why it seems like he doesn’t get the same level of vitriol. I personally think that one factor could be that Harden is seen as a playoff choker while the series we’ve seen from Luka have been at all time great levels of performance. That doesn’t really explain/excuse everything though. All I know is that I’ll be paying extra attention to what sort of narratives arise about Luka in the future.

[@thesnipingspider3852]

The issue was for harden he was a ball hog and didn’t try to get his offense involved. He does dribble for 22 seconds and the. Passes it off. Luka does this too but so does every superstar. But harden did it so much and flopped on every call, shot stupid shots and actually played no defense. The difference with Luka is because he’s being used 99% of the time on offense which leaves him gassed on defense. So if he’s tired from balling out on offense then of course he’ll be bad on defense. Harden just didn’t try at all and expected everything to go his way plus harden is a terrible teammate. Harden also choked massively in playoffs but you already said that. Luka is just a young prodigy and just looking at Luka passes and everything he’s done, he’s just a better harden

[@fpbaby8513]

@@thesnipingspider3852 that’s kinda my point though. Harden “ballhogs” and “just doesn’t try” on defense, but Luka “needs the ball” and is “too tired from carrying the offense to play defense.” They basically function the same but Luka gets a pass for it. I think Luka has the potential to be better than Harden, but he still has a little way to go. Prime Harden was MVP, multiple 1st team All NBA, multiple conference finals, etc.

[@readmycomment3707]

@Fpbaby He gets better in the playoffs, he averages like 35+ in playoffs. He dropped 40 on elite defenders like Kawhi. Harden had multiple games where he scored less than 20 in playoffs. So no, the fake narrative that hes Harden is completely b.s. Also Harden cant pass as well as Luka can.

[@readmycomment3707]

@@fpbaby8513 Its clear you dont watch the games, Lukas already better than Harden based on leading a team to the finals by himself at 22 and putting up better numbers in playoffs.

[@vimsical3258]

Tbf with Kyrie it's usually the same thing; He gives a great performance on the court at first but you're just holding your breath to see what he does when the dust settles...

[@wallstreetzoomer]

Average kyrie hater

[@wlee9888]

@@wallstreetzoomer It's true though: Cleveland, Boston, Brooklyn.

[@dan6481]

When the dust settles he still averages 27 ppg. His production never drops

[@ElSkinsio]

@@dan6481 if he plays...

[@dan6481]

@@ElSkinsiothat has nothing to with the dust settling. His production doesn't drop when he is on the court.

[@KIPROPNicholasBett]

I’ve been waiting for this!

[@aske4979]

+1 on the improved video quality

[@unlimitedgreatness]

Luka needs to condition his body to be able to play both sides of the game.

[@Matfridt]

When he doesn't have to run an entire offense by himself, he plays perfectly fine defense and Kyrie can help with that. He's still struggling with that heel injury, which was apparent with his play VS the Nuggets yesterday. Those who don't watch the Mavs tend to just assume he doesn't know how to defend. He does, but when he has to take 25 shots a game to even give the team a chance to win because everyone else are walking bricks, he doesn't have much left on defense. He really is a solid help defender and he reads passing lanes really well, just needs to be healthy. I think this Kyrie pairing is gonna work well once they get some more reps together

[@manitasdepiedra]

@@Matfridt BS. Luka needed help by having one of hs teammates double his man! Luka is so bad defensively he was doubling ISH FREAKING SMITH with one of his teammates LMAO that is PATHETIC

[@Christopher-dd1ph]

@@manitasdepiedra exactly. he's TERRIBLE.

[@Matfridt]

@@manitasdepiedra This is the kinda takes you end up with when you don't actually watch the Mavs play, but just run with narratives that teenagers on NBA twitter feed you lmfao. When team mates hit shots from the open looks he creates (aka when he doesn't have to take every damn shot), he plays far better defense, everyone who care to actually keep up knows this

[@michaelhaydenbell]

Bro goddamm yall gotta stfu already about this man's "conditioning" and "lack of athleticism" like you have the slightest clue what kind of shape you gotta be in to do everything he does and like he's not putting up a 30+ pt triple double any given night. Luka is a VASTLY improved defender since he started.

[@roty2244]

Legit the best channel on KZbin.

[@spagettifork8916]

Luka screening for Kai and making Draymond esque short roll reads while also being a scoring threat would be magical

[@notyouraveragesportsenjoye931]

Love this channel

[@douglasbueno411]

I was waiting for this video for weeks

[@danielallyway]

You make the best basketball videos in the world. ✅

[@behindthearcyt]

i think luka and kyrie can lead the mavs to a top 5 offense or better in the league just need the role players to hit their open catch and shoot 3s off all the attention luka and kyrie will get from defenses defensively they desperately need maxi klebar to give them some rim protection to hopefully make their defense leauge average

[@mrfatuchi]

You cant just iso and then kick it to the shooter thats terrible one dimensional basketball.

[@joshjackson3045]

@@mrfatuchi when those shooters can’t shoot or can’t drive to the rim they’re just bad players. And that’s the unfortunate truth. These mavs role players aren’t good enough

[@matthieusaade3616]

Kleber*

[@leungsz]

The hilarious thing is that Luka alone is already a top 5 offense. Kyrie gives them extra juice for the postseason, but the defense remains the key......

[@dundalis]

Top 5 offense or better? With just Luka on the court the Mavs had the number 1 offense in the league all season. The only reason they were 9th before the Kyrie trade is they had the worst offense in the league in the 8-12 minutes when Luka sat. They should easily be the number 1-2 offense in the league or something has gone wrong

[@anubislee36]

Watching the Mavs this season I genuinely couldn't decide who brought more to the table, Spencer or Green. Green is an unsung star on Dallas. Glad to see some love his way

[@murkzyyrg]

I’ve been waiting for thiss

[@Hoops_Fan]

2:08 - Those were Kyrie's first points as a Maverick. Also, excellent commentary and analysis as always, Ben.

[@olivierparent3554]

Hi love your channel. Im from the future i know crazy right! How woild we explain the recent struggles the mavs had?

[@Joah1990]

Ngl. My two favorite players are on the same team now.. I know all the arguments against them. But I'm stoked

[@95yazid]

I love the tone of Jason Kidd here, he literally could have said "Interior Defense? Forget about it"

[@pinnacletherapper4902]

I was at the kings game where Luka returned and it was absolute poetry watching him and kyrie. That being said, I worry about Kyries caring on this team. Obviously it was just one game but you could see how Kyrie didn’t really care to be there. Which to be fair, he’s a new guy in an established locker room but hear me out. He came pretty late after the rest of the team and just kept to himself. During timeouts he was usually outside of the huddle on the far end of the bench. In theory, this offense looks really fun, but I think we need to see how they develop as a squad to really see how it fleshes out.

[@KanbaruS4n]

I read the exact opposite when it comes to practice. Apparently Kyrie came in to practice before everyone else and made a point to introduce himself to everyone. I think there shouldn't be too much reading into where he was standing or sitting during the game. Obviously they have an established way of doing stuff during a game and he won't know how they handle that after a few games. Pretty natural for him to observe first before diving into the huddle and disrupting everything.

[@jimmyrodriguez5670]

You sound like you let the media influence what you see.

[@emcee_spokesman]

There's a reason no one asks you for your opinion

[@averagevtuberenjoyer2209]

I think Irving was a perfect player for mavs offense rn. The only thing they are missing is a good rim protector and I'm really looking forward to watching this team create something special.

[@Mark-db1ok]

Great video as always. It's still really early in this experiment, but the good news is: this team might be able to score 140 points many nights. The bad news is: they'll probably need to. Luka and Kyrie play the same position, but they play it very differently. I could see them complimenting each other's style really nicely if they are able to gel and get the chemistry working.

[@theebraggart]

I love this channel

[@trecotton4224]

Can you do a kyrie breakdown I would like to know what makes him effective from an in depth analysis standpoint

[@Unknomn]

This ^. Also compare him with other guards in the league/past players and his impact on the floor. Kind of like the player peaks video he did. I think he is probably waiting till kyrie retires. To make a full in-depth analysis.

[@Payydae]

Kyrie is 1of1 that’s what make him effective

[@goldencoast8896]

You really need analyst to tell you that??

[@trecotton4224]

@@goldencoast8896 chill I’m tryna get a video of kyrie bro 😂

[@757reaper]

Finally! Someone with eyes! Take my subscribe.

[@thicccorgi6187]

Hey J Kidd some of us actually appreciate great defense! Like the 2004 Pistons holding opponents to under 88 ppg! Watching them completely shut teams down was entertaining to me!

[@TheJchip]

It’ll be a very interesting experiment

[@heuristix77]

Justin Holiday's performance last night made me much less concerned about giving up DFS. I don't expect him to shoot 5/6 from three every night but the on ball defense looked really solid and consistent. He was a very good pickup out of the buyout market.

[@miloradbojanic3049]

Ok. Statistics is ...right, maybe, idk and i dg a sheat. But expression of face and that smile! That is pure joy of the game. Nobody smiles like Luka.

[@mikete714]

driving off the catch. thats a good underrated skill that green has.

[@wowowness]

I think early on the fast break game will resemble melo’s knicks, cause Carmelo never really ran the break either but was always the trailer for 3. I could definitely see that being doncic early on especially considering conditioning

[@lfont1103]

would love to see a full josh green and jaden hardy breakdown, mavs young core

[@anubislee36]

First couple games together have been pretty fun so far. Kryie's explosive movements are such a sharp mix-up from Luka's slow and steady bully stuff. I know Kyrie is gone next year and that we very likely won't end up with a chip but I hope to see a lot of hype games with the boys.

[@readmycomment3707]

Why would he be gone next year? Mavs can afford to pay him a max, most teams like the Lakers and others cant plus Texas lower taxes.

[@Equilyzr]

@@readmycomment3707 he gone so cope bro

[@thomasmooney5166]

I've long wanted to see Luka on the short roll. He's done it a handful of times with Green handling the ball, but obviously, a Kyrie and Luka pick and roll should be incredibly more dynamic.

[@retired122]

I appreciate you covering josh green, hes been playing out of his mind and he gives me a lot of hope for our future

[@JimBrave-vi9ji]

he played horrible the last 2 games when they needed him and he was starting.

[@retired122]

@@JimBrave-vi9ji thats crazy a young player having 2 off games, shit might as well trade him now.

[@JimBrave-vi9ji]

@@retired122 most young players don't have two bad games in a row after getting that chance. He's had about 15 straight good games then 2 really bad games where he Does nothing and he's not that young he's 23. Most 23 year olds do something to help in the game even if their shot is off that night they just grab more rebounds or pass better or they will get 3 steals and a block with great defense to try and win. but he is not doing that.

[@retired122]

@@JimBrave-vi9ji thats fair, you right he isnt that young but this the first times hes really been asked to contribute alot so hes gotta get used to playing starting minutes in the system plus he seems to hustle the most on the team atm besides kyrie. But in a 17 game stretch of only two bad games I think your overemphasizing it because it happened back to back and recently

[@thesnipingspider3852]

@@JimBrave-vi9ji you know that the two games he’s done bad in right have been the only 2 with the new lineup and kyrie

[@QGuides]

This channel really supports my nba addiction

[@nicklaughery6715]

You won’t believe how it ended

[@Simon_Sez]

I always hate when people say Kyrie is a ballhog and doesn’t pass 🤦‍♂️ he’ll definitely get into his iso game, but just halfway thru this video you can already see how willing and able he is to play beautiful, free flowing basketball. And it’s only highlights from a handful of games too 🤷‍♂️ he’s been playing like this for a looooong time

[@Doublej1336]

Haven’t watched yet but imo it’s gonna work. I make the comparison to CP3 and Harden. I can’t imagine this much talent will “not work”

[@Dr_Footbrake]

Looking forward to seeing how the Allas Mavericks go

[@qam8429]

talking about blinding lobs with floaters and then looking at the atl hawks offense. traes lack of off ball movement and creation limits them so much

[@larrylund2682]

There is way more room for growth than regression on this Mav's team right now than I can remember for the past 12 years.

[@R3aS0NaBL3]

Mike Conley saw his life flash before his eyes @4:21

[@AchillesWrath1]

Josh Green definitely looking better more confident this year. DFS was good but i think Green can replace him and may be even better. He's more flexible and mobile on offense and a pretty good low key defender as well.

[@wemakecookie]

Awesome content. As a Twolves fan, a video on Anthony Edwards improvement and the Timberwolves in general would be sweet.

[@mattsbestfriend1624]

Agreed as a mavs fan

[@rolfanderson3925]

Go Wolves 😤😤😤

[@jonathanlgill]

I'm not a Wolves fan, but seeing the addition of Mike Conley has me moderately optimistic about the team, so I'd love a video breakdown as well.

[@wemakecookie]

He going off right now too, 14 points in the first couple minutes of the game 😂 scores currently 21-6

[@nandomorales43]

Dirk and monta type give and go handoffs will be crazy

[@kingajofficial5527]

the goat channel

[@305Solo]

It *can* work but I have my doubts. They’re not a good defensive team as it is and they’ve moved on their best defender in DFS. So now it’s almost a case that because Luka doesn’t necessarily need to carry so much load offensively, it should mean that he has more energy to lock in defensively. I really want Luka to get some help, but I don’t know if this was the trade to do

[@Ganggangbuzzbuzz]

Green and Hardy are developing great

[@krislonzie2759]

This is accurate but this is just two games so hard to determine so fast

[@AchillesWrath1]

The problem right now isn't offense it's defense. I do think it will free up Luka and open their offense though. Much harder to double and try to trap Doncic 90% of the game anymore with another equal player that can score from anywhere. That was their limitation before because pretty much all they had was 3 pt shooters outside of Dinwidde and Wood. Still frustrating to see Wood not getting more playing time. His defense especially rim protection has been pretty good when he's been paired as a starter with Luka. I think he's averaging over 2 BPG in those limited amount of games played. But whenever Kleber comes back that should help their interior defense as well. That's the hope anyways.

[@flyj26599]

Basketball is fun!

[@SquirrelJam]

Holy moly I didn't know this happened, you'd think these two could damn near do it themselves if they gel their playstyles could work really well together Kylie can play with anyone tho

[@charliekosh1425]

It makes a lot of sense. If the mavs are so used to playing around luka, playing around kyries play making is so similar.

[@josephlivingston4561]

Honestly they are their most offensively dangerous running a pick and roll with Kyrie and luka, pair that with a 5 wide look and its pretty damn unstoppable

[@goated3285]

Yep & defense

[@manitasdepiedra]

BS

[@trebledc]

Yes Unstoppable if they're efficient. If not? defense stops is what the mavs will be grasping for.

[@toastedt140]

I dont see Luka setting a bunch of screens all game and Kyrie cant really do much more than a ghost screen to fuck with defenders.

[@slimeballmk6656]

@@trebledcKyrie always efficient idk about luka

[@melvox00]

idk but i need to see more Wood in the starting 5

[@Arti__1]

where do you get all these moments from games?

[@benjaminsymon5165]

Dallas have to commit to small ball, and for that to work you need Luka to become the best defender he can be. I'm thinking of a Draymond Green type role, where his bbiq and build is maximized and he can offer team defense and an interior presence defending the 4 (closing out games with Kyrie, Green, Bullock and Kleber/Wood at the 5). If that happens, Dallas' historic offense will be enough to carry their mediocre defense to a real playoff run. They won't be able to stop guys like Embiid and Giannis from going off, but their spacing will be literally unstoppable. Spread pick n roll plus other screen actions and handoffs, Bullock in the corner, Kyrie and Green attacking closeouts and Maxi or Wood pick n' poppin, and Luka running the show, it would be Magic.

[@adamt4776]

If Don commits to a Draymond like playstyle say goodbye to MJ like offensive plays.

[@steveal8264]

I love josh green game

[@hanspeter8072]

who´s here after they missed the playoffs? xd but who would have thought that this experiment would flop as hard as it did? I'm looking forward to the offseason and am hoping for the mavs to figure out how to unleash the potential of a luka-kyrie offense

[@musaddiqmunirliman8267]

The theme song 🔥

[@Herv3]

Is a video breaking down how good of a fit KD will be with the Suns worth doing?

[@Jerrden]

As amazing as Luka is, it can be frustrating because he can be even better. He needs to get into better shape, no other way of putting it. He looked a lot leaner at the beginning of the season and it showed on both sides of the ball.

[@ZoRakanonymous]

Yep

[@EtiandroRosa]

We're can I find these stats?

[@lucwijngaard8413]

Doncic is just on another level

[@nicford1486]

I remember watching Dirk (long time dallas fan) and thinking, "he really needs a big rim protector and he could have a chance". They eventually got Tyson Chandler, and the rest is history. Can't help but think the same. I know the new NBA is different, but at the end of the day, you HAVE to have defense to win championships. The need a defensive stud. Maybe the new NBA requires an elite perimeter defender, but the point remains.

[@athunderfan]

Vanderbilt wouldve been a match made in heaven but the lakers got him

[@tastyneck]

Im dumb but I feel like if Draymond a free agent after this season he'd be solid on the Mavs. He'd help with the D, the passing would be insane, and the offense has another option to run through. But, like I said, Im dumb.

[@thesnipingspider3852]

The warriors aren’t letting go of their big 3 anytime soon

[@winter666madness]

And he'd probably smack someone up in practice. You love to see it

[@tastyneck]

@@thesnipingspider3852 Hence the "if..."

[@creatureofrabbit2036]

Watching NBA highlights lately just reminding me how big of a problem the league has right now with pushing off. Basically only young players or super obvious ones getting called. It's happening basically every play and it's opening up a ton of shots. As soon as a ball handler gets a half step they are holding back the defender with the off arm and forcing help to come.

[@Simon_Sez]

What you described in your last sentence doesn’t seem like pushing off tho… It’s legal to use the off arm to *fend* off the opposing player -- but that’s different from *pushing* off. If they actually *grab* or *push* the defender, then that’s an offensive foul, and I usually see those called. But *fending* off is completely legal and taught in grade school. Putting the defender “in jail” is legal, and a great, effective move.

[@Simon_Sez]

Do you have any examples of the push offs in this video?

[@jdrmanmusiqking]

Push offs (especially ones that get fouls called on the defense), defensive 3 seconds, and illegal screens are the biggest reason why scoring is out of hand Simply eliminating those 3 will drastically improve the game we dont even need to touch traveling calls. Just the 3 things mentioned above

[@maartenvz]

@@jdrmanmusiqking ah you mean the dynamic shuffle screens/checks :)

[@mrmacross]

@@jdrmanmusiqking Don't forget all the times players get away with palming and discontinuous dribbles. I guy like Ja Morant is totally unguardable.

[@isaactesfaye9760]

mavs should have invested in a paint protector. If they went for poeltl they would have been my favorites to win it by a good margin because poeltl is a top 3 defensive center in the league.

[@Mrjvc163]

I feel bad for basketball fans that aren’t subscribed to this channel.

[@anthonybanks1948]

They have to much playoff experience from the coach to the stars down and they be able to pick up one more big in the buyout market

[@megsman4749]

Did you see their final possession against the wolves? That pretty much sums it up.

[@moistpeanut5986]

yeah I dont think it will work like the numbers make you believe. Both of these players want and need to take control of the game. Neither of them really benefit from the other being on the court. What the Mavs really needed was a big man

[@trebledc]

This will only work, if one will give way and the mavs gets a defense oriented player. Two star player who are volume shooters, and only gets in a streak when they dribble the ball for 14 sec in every posession, man this is tough! Kidd better be looking for another Job, if He doesn't provide a solution on this especially the defense.

[@abtocool6350]

You saying this makes kyrie’s offball game even more underrated, even in this video you see him coming off offball screens for shots or lay ups, his handles are so good people just assume that he just dominates the ball.

[@youngmelo1841]

I just hope they end up in Denver's bracket for the playoffs

[@peterculver8125]

I'd be surprised if this team can get past Phoenix or Memphis

[@iancormick2854]

Looking at that first graph of "time of possession" vs "on-court ORTG", there's a big outlier at ~23% possession: that's gotta be Jokic right?

[@TkTio_NG]

Yup it is his ORTG is unreal consider this few FGA he try this season

[@sharifbrown3567]

Is there a reason why Top 10 2022 was never published on KZbin? Does anyone know what Ben put for it?

[@nonamewillbegiven9989]

Delusional Lebron stan

[@finng1571]

I want to see a irving luka pnr. Sure Luka doesnt provide verticality, but i think this still has a lot of potential. He could be like a slightly smaller joker, but not as his main playstyle but just something he con throw in at any given time

[@thearacit1878]

3:08 is a massive carry

[@dotsandlines2756]

Pre-litty!

[@chrissullivan6572]

I think it can work. They lost some close games, probably just need to iron out some kinks

[@kennethward4985]

If Luka can start to play more like Jokic, then he now has Kyrie, almost as good as Jamal Murray. If they are smart this can be a dangerous team.

[@josephninerift3784]

Josh Green is the perfect fit rn. But defense is still a problem.