3 Studs, 2 duds in Mavericks' first home loss of season against Raptors

1. Stud - Kyrie Irving

Before last night’s matchup, one of the biggest thoughts for fans was if Kyrie Irving could still score the ball at an efficient level.

In his 36 minutes of playing time, Irving was all over the court while putting up 22 points, five assists, and four rebounds, including shooting 3-7 from three.

Irving is continuously showing more aggressiveness in the first and fourth quarters, rather than having Luka Doncic take on the workload by himself. Between the duo, there have been signs in the last few games that the chemistry is developing at a fast pace, which should worry fans all around the league.

Irving has taken on the role of not just being a top scorer for this team, but also being a facilitator and leader. The former Blue Devil is currently averaging 7.8 assists per game, which is a career-high.

A key problem with the Mavericks last season was how slow-paced they were. Irving and Doncic have both tried implementing a faster-paced playstyle, which has clearly been beneficial for the team.

Expect a big performance from Kyrie Irving on Friday night as he will be taking on his former teammate, James Harden and the LA Clippers.

For all the latest news on Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks, stay tuned.