Kyrie Irving’s fearless mindset is Mavs’ last shot at survival in post-Doncic era

The Dallas Mavericks lost one of their more gut-wrenching and wild contests in franchise history on Tuesday night versus the Los Angeles Lakers, as Dallas fell 107-99 to new Laker Luka Doncic and company. Dallas is still decimated by injuries to their big man corps, and that showed up heavily in this game with Dallas' lack of rim protection.

However, the Mavericks still competed at a high level on both ends despite the deficiencies on their roster, and big man Dwight Powell came in and gave the Mavericks some great minutes upon his return from a hip strain.

The Mavericks played as well of perimeter defense as they could've in this game, but they simply couldn't convert enough offensively to match the dynamic playmaking of the Lakers. Dallas shot a meager 35.7 percent from the field in this game, and Dallas' role players were hard-pressed to shoot as efficiently as they usually do in such a high-profile contest.

Irving's is proving he can carry the Mavs just like Doncic did

Dallas still had a chance to win this game toward the end despite the Lakers pulling away off the heels of a stellar fourth quarter from LeBron James as well as a 19-point, 15-rebound, and 12-assist triple-double from Doncic. This was only because Dallas superstar Kyrie Irving continued to show why he is the new face of the organization in the midst of this Doncic trade, as he kept the Mavericks in this game with his usual fearless approach.

Irving didn't back down from any of the semantics heading into this contest, as he fully embraced the pressure in the moment en route to 35 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. Irving is one of the most competitive and high-energy players in the NBA, and while he already brings his best effort on a nightly basis, he has the same Doncic-like ability to rise to the occasion as NBA fans have seen with many of the league's greatest players.

Irving was completely dialed in all facets of this game, even displaying a relentless defensive effort by picking up Laker guards full-court throughout decent stretches of this game. This is the kind of stuff that makes fans question how Irving can assume such a heavy workload on both ends on a nightly basis given he's a smaller guard and is already 32 years old, but Irving continues to prove to Mavs fans that he's a transcendent talent.

Irving may not have the potential or time to still develop that Doncic has, but he's undoubtedly still in his late prime, and he's been playing at an other-worldly level since the Doncic trade whilst still saying all the right things from a PR perspective with the Doncic trade fallout. It's clear that Irving has fully thrust himself into the Mavericks' biggest leader both on and off the court, and he's the clear new face of this organization alongside Anthony Davis.

The fan outcry from Nico Harrison's ill-advised decision to trade Doncic can not be overstated enough, but Irving is giving Mavericks fans hope that he can galvanize this Mavericks roster to make a deep run in the playoffs if/when Dallas' big men get fully healthy. The question of whether Irving can preserve this level of play and workload on both ends while still staying healthy till the end of the regular season is a pressing one, but all Irving has done is answer every single doubt Mavericks fans and the national media have had for him since he's been in Dallas, and this instance appears to be no different.