Kyrie Irving already fits better with Cooper Flagg than he did with Luka Doncic

Though they've only played a handful of games together, Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg are forming a special duo, and they even fit better together than Irving did with Luka Doncic. The gravity they both draw helps open up the floor for each other, and it's created more wide-open looks for their teammates as well.

Of course, Irving and Doncic went to the NBA Finals together and had a special run of their own, and Flagg and Irving still have much to prove from a winning perspective before they are viewed as elite as that duo was. However, they complement each other’s games better than Doncic did with Irving, and this is due to a few factors.

This Dallas Mavericks team plays fast, as they are tied for fifth in the league with 18.7 fast-break points per game right now. Irving and Flagg both like to get out and run, and when they create advantages with their speed in transition, they are extremely hard to stop together.

Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving fit better than even Irving and Doncic

This was the case multiple times in Dallas' NBA Cup win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night, as Flagg and Irving combined for 68 points. Whether it was two-on-one in transition for an easy layup, or Flagg was pushing the pace in transition to eventually kick out to Irving for an open 3-pointer, there's a selfless nature in terms of the way this duo operates.

Doncic is an offensive mastermind in his own right, but possessions tend to stall with him when he's not finding his rhythm, and his heliocentric style of offense is very half-court oriented, with little ball movement on some possessions. This isn't the case with Irving and Flagg, as they are constantly driving and kicking to find the best shot for themselves or their teammates.

They are both ambidextrous three-level scorers who can get to their spot in any one-on-one situation, but also thrive off-ball as cutters. Most importantly for a 34-year-old Irving, though, Flagg is a defensive monster as well. Irving is a witty defender, but being undersized and a step slower compared to his younger days, he gives up some slippage at the point of attack sometimes.

Irving and Flagg will lead Dallas back to the playoffs

However, Flagg and players like Zaccharie Risacher have been elite help-side defenders for the Mavs through six games, and have been able to clean up some of their cracks at the point of attack. Doncic was a net-negative defender throughout his time in Dallas, even though he had his moments, and ultimately was a big reason they fell short in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics in 2024.

It's hard to win a championship when both of a team's two best players aren't plus defenders, but Irving and Flagg don't have that issue whatsoever. It's still very early in the season, and Dallas could be playing a little above their talent right now, but early signs are pointing to Irving and Flagg being able to lead the Mavericks back to the playoffs this season.

Again, this isn't to say Irving and Flagg have achieved more success than the Doncic-Irving pairing, or that they've had a more prolific run, but their fit together already looks more seamless than Doncic's with Irving.

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