Kyrie Irving's identity crisis will define the Mavericks' make-or-break surge

Kyrie Irving is at a crossroads. The exploits of Uncle Drew will forever be remembered in basketball lore. And the Dallas Mavericks will most certainly welcome Irving back into the lineup with open arms once he fully recovers from his ACL tear. However, Irving will need to change his DNA into that of a more prototypical point guard for the Mavericks to maintain their momentum this season. But can a leopard change its spots this late in the game?

The city of Dallas is starting to feel that familiar buzz again. Something is brewing just beneath the surface. The undercurrent of electricity amongst the Dallas fans is their newfound optimism garnered by the Mavericks winning five out of their last seven games. Cooper Flagg had his official coming-out party with a 42-point explosion in a tough overtime loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday. But he’s the first 18-year-old to ever score over 40 points in a game. It looks like Dallas may have another star on its hands.

But what also stands out is that rising rookie point guard Ryan Nembhard chipped in that same game with a very efficient 14 points and 11 assists, which has helped Flagg become the best version of himself thus far. It seems that the blueprint to the Mavs' success is unfolding in real time.

Why the Mavs may need Kyrie Irving to embrace his inner John Stockton

So…where does Irving fit into this equation? A leopard is an apex predator that sits at the top of its food chain. And make no mistake. Irving sits at the top of the food chain if we are talking sheer skill and on-court wizardry. However, leopards are solitary by nature. Fiercely independent animals that prefer to live and hunt alone. 

Irving has been known to hunt alone in search of his offense. He thrives in isolation, and he doesn’t need a pick to get a bucket in a tight spot or if the shot clock is winding down. He’s one of only nine players to make the exclusive 50/40/90 club.

So he knows how to be efficient while putting on a show for the fans. But Dallas will probably need a different version of Irving this time around. Much different from the my-turn-your-turn offense that he and Luka Doncic thrived in during their finals run in 2024.

Irving represents the pinnacle of the guard position's evolution. But he’s more of a combo guard. He’s a scorer at heart who can easily give you 30, 40, or 50 points on a given night. But he’s never averaged more than 6.9 assists a game in a season.

Ryan Nemhard, on the other hand, led the NCAA in assists in his senior year of college at 9.8 dimes per game. And that skillset has translated to the pro level as well. He’s registered double-digit assists in three of the Mavericks' last six games and infused a dying Mavs’ offense with new life ever since he took the reins as the starting point guard in late November.

Irving isn’t a pure point guard like John Stockton. But he needs to take a page out of Stockton’s pick-and-roll playbook. He doesn’t have Karl Malone, but he does have Anthony Davis. He and Davis can thrive with a multitude of pick-and-pop and pick-and-roll variations.

And Irving's quickness can help free up Cooper Flagg even more at making runs to the rim or doing their own pick-and-roll action as well. The extra action will also help by freeing Klay Thompson for a few more looks in transition or a few more shot attempts off some curl actions.

This means that Kyrie may have to sacrifice some of his eye-popping dribbling displays and transition threes to help facilitate more movement and keep everyone involved. Theoretically, we should see higher assist numbers from Irving since he's playing with two dynamic offensive players, such as Davis and Flagg. Irving is a great player with a high IQ. And there’s no doubt he’s been taking notes from the bench on how he can help the team.

It’s all going to come down to how much he's willing to sacrifice and where he picks his spots. His competitive fire will make him want to prove to himself and the fans that he's the same Kyrie of old. But the Mavs will need him to exercise restraint for the betterment of the team. But hey, maybe a leopard can change its spots after all.