Mavericks face a brutal truth they can't ignore until Kyrie Irving returns

The Dallas Mavericks' 2025 NBA Finals hopes were shattered on March 3 when Kyrie Irving tore his ACL against the Sacramento Kings, and with him set to miss a large portion of the 2025-26 season thanks to this injury, various Mavs players must step up to help the team get more paint touches and shot creation.

Irving is a master of getting to the paint to create a layup for himself or an open 3-point jumper for one of his teammates, and his ability to get to the rim and finish has been one of his best abilities for years. He oftentimes makes shots around the bucket that no one else in the league could make, thanks to his concentration, finesse, and ability to finish through contact. His unreal finishing causes the defense to collapse on him, which creates open looks for everyone else around him.

Everyone benefits from playing alongside Irving, and with him set to miss multiple months next season, someone else has to step up as a slasher and create advantages for themselves and others by driving the ball to the paint.

Paint touches could decide how Dallas fares without Kyrie Irving

The Mavs have a few players who thrive at getting to the rim, as Naji Marshall is an incredible finisher thanks to his persistent drives and unstoppable floater, and he must keep up this same level of production heading into next season. Dallas will need him to continue to put pressure on the rim with his driving, and he, alongside one other Maverick, could be the answer to helping fix this issue while Irving is out.

Brandon Williams took the league by storm at the end of last season, so much so that he earned a standard contract with Dallas after being on a two-way for part of the 2022-23 season and nearly the entire 2024-25 season, and he is one of the few players on the team who can create their own shot and get to the bucket. He is someone who has been heavily overlooked this offseason, and Mavs fans who aren't familiar with his game will quickly learn that he is one of the more underrated bench players in the West.

Williams’ ball handling has shades of Irving's, as he excels at breaking defenders down with different dribble combos before knocking down a mid-range jumper or getting all the way to the rim for an easy layup. His creativity around the rim is a thing of wonder, as he seems to add more to his bag every single season, and the 2025-26 season could determine what his fate will look like.

Jason Kidd will likely look to Williams to help keep the backcourt afloat during Irving’s absence, and he’ll need to shoot at a high level while also being able to create for himself and others to help Dallas excel for the first couple of months.

It remains unclear what Williams’ role will look like once Irving is back and healthy, but it couldn’t be more obvious that they are going to need him to take another jump in his development this summer to cement himself as a key guard within the backcourt. With the Mavs’ frontcourt being headlined by players like Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford, Kidd is going to need his guards to step up as creators and drivers to keep them in the hunt for the beginning of the season.

No one will be able to replace Irving’s impact on their own, but if Williams, Marshall, and others can get to the rim early and often and force the defense to collapse, then Dallas’ creation problem may not be as bad as it seems.