Mavericks' hidden Kyrie Irving solution has gone right over national media's head

The fate of the Dallas Mavericks' season took a drastic turn last season when Kyrie Irving tore his ACL on March 2 in a game against the Sacramento Kings. From the jump, it was easy to see how Irving's injury could have easily derailed the Mavericks and their playoff hopes; however, the team kept fighting and almost grasped the eight seed after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in the final play-in game.

While Irving's absence seemingly set the Mavericks up for a dark future, as he won't likely return to the hardwood until after the All-Star break, the Mavericks caught a huge break when they won the NBA's Draft Lottery and selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick. There's no doubt that Flagg's arrival has changed the course of Mavericks history forever, but his emergence also makes light of Irving's injury, as Flagg will now have more time to develop with the ball in his hands.

Plenty of attention has been on Flagg as the Mavericks are still searching for a long-term playmaker outside of Flagg or newly acquired D'Angelo Russell, but the NBA's national media is already overlooking one of Dallas' most underrated pieces that could make-or-break Irving's time spent on the sideline.

Brandon Williams is still being massively overlooked

Since Irving's injury at the beginning of March last season, Brandon Williams has emerged as one of the league's best rotational guards over that time. In March alone, Williams averaged 16.6 points and 4.5 assists per game, all while shooting 54.1 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from behind the 3-point line.

There's no doubt that Williams stepped up his game the second Irving went down with his torn ACL, and even earned a fully rostered contract with the Mavericks right before the beginning of the playoffs. While Williams put on a show in the final month and a half of the Mavericks' season, the national media is still underplaying the value that Williams can bring to the floor on a nightly basis.

In a recent segment of the "Hoop Collective Podcast" where Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon, and Brian Windhorst were discussing the depth the Mavericks have behind Irving and who would take over as the lead ball handler, Williams' name was not mentioned once.

Not only is this completely disrespectful to Williams and what he had done to finish the season with the Mavericks, but it is yet another scenario where the media is betting against Williams. When Irving first got injured, the national media was quick to write off the Mavericks due to their lack of ball handling and playmaking without Irving in the lineup. Williams would quickly put that narrative to bed and even earned a one-year standard deal with the team at the end of last season.

Despite the hate, last season proved that Williams had the tools and ability to impact winning at the highest level, even if it means coming off the bench. Williams would constantly get defenses on their heels early in the shot clock, and even though he only broke out in Dallas' final month and a half of the regular season, Williams deserves much more respect from the media and fans.

Next season will be the first year where Williams will have expectations with his professional career, and it may be one of the only opportunities that the 25-year-old has left to prove why he belongs in the NBA. As currently constructed, Williams is on a one-year standard contract, so he must prove to the Mavericks' front office or to another team in the league that he has what it takes to earn a multi-year contract in the NBA.

Williams was a fantastic boost off the bench on both sides of the floor last season, but his biggest improvements need to be made in the shooting department. Williams not only needs to be able to consistently knock down shots from behind the arc, but he also must continue to mold his game after Irving and be a menace in the paint.