Mavericks need Kyrie Irving to do something he's never done in Dallas

The last time Kyrie Irving took the floor, he shared it with Dante Exum, Dwight Powell, Kessler Edwards, and Klay Thompson. Since then, the Mavericks’ roster has seen a dramatic shift.

Two of those players are no longer with the team, and another is on an expiring contract. Thompson is the only one likely to remain when Irving returns, and even that isn’t guaranteed. As a result, Irving is expected to re-enter a significantly different offensive environment, one that will likely require some adjustment.

A new offensive environment awaits Kyrie Irving

The 34-year-old could find himself in a primary facilitation role, one he hasn’t consistently held since his first season with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019–20, when he appeared in just 20 games. Still, Irving may need to tap back into that lead playmaking instinct as he prepares to share the floor with a roster heavy on finishers rather than self-creators.

While this likely won’t be an arduous adjustment for the nine-time All-Star, it is still notable. Over the past five years, Irving has shared the floor with the likes of James Harden and Luka Doncic — two of the league’s most ball-dominant stars. As a result, he has often operated in more of an off-ball scoring role, easing some of the traditional playmaking burden.

Adjustment has defined Irving's career

Irving’s career has largely been defined by sharing the floor with the league’s brightest stars, even if they haven’t always been traditional floor generals. During his stint in Cleveland, he played alongside LeBron James. He then moved to Boston, where he joined an emerging duo in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, before signing with Brooklyn to team up with Kevin Durant and later Harden.

Irving has never truly been able to tap into his full playmaking arsenal outside of his early seasons in Cleveland, when he played for an underwhelming Cavaliers team. While the Mavericks, currently one of the league’s worst teams, could fall under a similar category, there is far more offensive talent to be extracted moving forward, led by rookie sensation Cooper Flagg.

Speaking of Flagg, Dallas initially tasked the then-18-year-old rookie with extracting that talent around him by placing him at point guard to begin the season. It was an experiment that ultimately failed and underscored the need for a primary facilitator.

Irving is set to return as the Mavericks' floor general

Nonetheless, that responsibility will likely shift back to Irving next season, with Flagg transitioning into a more traditional scoring forward role. He will still handle some playmaking duties, but with Irving in the lineup, he won’t be tasked with consistently initiating offense or bringing the ball up. Instead, he'll project more as a secondary playmaker.

Despite being one of his generation’s premier point guards, Irving has never averaged 7.0 assists per game in a season. In fact, he is one of only five All-Star point guards since 2000 to never reach that mark.

Next season presents a real opportunity for Irving to finally clear that mark. With a new-look lineup built around play finishers and coming off a torn ACL, he’ll be navigating multiple adjustments. In that context, leaning more into a primary facilitation role rather than operating as a No. 1 option could help ease the burden.