Kyrie Irving's return will fix what's been killing the Mavericks all season

With the Dallas Mavericks officially eliminated from playoff contention, it's time for fans to start looking toward the future for the bigger picture to find Cooper Flagg's next sidekick. Flagg's rookie season could've gone much better because of the number of clutch games the Mavs were in, but they need their superstar veteran, Kyrie Irving, to come back and turn things around.

The Mavericks have been in 41 clutch games this season, the most in the NBA. Clutch games are defined as any game where the score is within five points or less with five minutes or less remaining in the fourth quarter or overtime. Irving has not been involved in any games thanks to tearing his ACL last season, and they've missed him dearly.

While Cooper Flagg has improved at the end of games, he hasn't proven that he can take over games yet. Dallas doesn't have the firepower to get across the finish line in close games, and this has been a problem all season.

Jason Kidd says that we can't ignore the job Irving does, because if he plays in some of the games this season, the Mavs are likely in a better position to close out some more games on the winning side rather than dropping most of them.

Kyrie Irving fixes the Mavericks' clutch problem

"The biggest is if we can put ourselves down for 40 clutch games, you have a closer, a born closer, who I'm not going to say (Kyrie Irving) is going to win all 40 games for you, but it puts you in a better seat," Kidd said. "For us to not have him all year, that's impossible to cover up."

Mavs minority owner Mark Cuban made it clear that the team misses Irving, but the decision to shut him down helped his long-term health massively. It also would do no good to put him out there, and it looked like from Christmas Day onward that the Mavs weren't going to go anywhere all season long.

Irving is one of the most skilled basketball players we've ever seen on the hardwood. He's put the team on his back several times on the offensive end and makes the most impossible shots when he needs to.

If Mavs fans are going to be honest, sure, they miss him, but it's not the end of the world, considering that the Mavs aren't going anywhere this season.

Dallas' issues go beyond Kyrie Irving

The injury bug hasn't been too kind to the Mavericks over the last two seasons. It ultimately became the reason why the abysmal Anthony Davis project came to an end when he was traded to the Washington Wizards, and Dallas has unfortunately been defined by injuries over the last few years.

The Mavs have had some lineups that have looked like preseason starting lineups for the past two seasons, raising the question of whether the issue for the Mavericks goes far beyond Irving.

Will Dereck Lively II get a full season in? We haven't seen him get massive reps since his rookie season in 2023-24. Daniel Gafford has been involved in trade rumors since last trade deadline. Is he going to get a chance to play more if the Mavs don't do anything with him this summer?

Even if Irving plays, he's got to have a reliable big man to play with him. Moussa Cisse has been emerging as a true talent, but he's not quite starting material yet. He may start a lot more next year if the Mavs have problems with injuries again, but the point is, Irving has to have big man playmakers with him.

Him and Flagg aren't going to be enough to become playoff relevant again, but at least Mavericks fans can rest assured that Irving will help them win much more of their clutch games next season when he returns.