Can Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving be the cornerstones of a title contender?

The Dallas Mavericks were feeling the pressure of a disappointing season when they traded for Kyrie Irving in early February. They were fresh off a trip to the conference finals, and Luka Doncic is on pace to be an all-time great. The Mavs did not want to waste a year of Luka’s greatness, and Kyrie was the best available player that Dallas had the assets to acquire.

When they made the trade on Feb. 5, Doncic and company were two games over .500 and looking to make a push further up the standings. It felt like the Mavericks could easily jump into the top four in the Western Conference and be primed for another playoff run.

Instead, Dallas is three games under .500 with five left in the regular season and 11th in the Western Conference. They are in danger of missing the postseason entirely and basically need to make up two games over the final five because the Thunder hold the tiebreaker. Injuries played a factor, but the Mavs have been bad when both Luka and Kyrie are in the lineup. Can they be the lead duo of a contender?

Early returns from the Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving duo are not strong

The Mavs are 4-9 in the first 13 games that Doncic and Irving have played together. Detroit, San Antonio, and Houston are the only three teams with a worse winning percentage this season than that 30.7 percent. It is a small sample, and there have been strong numbers produced in some cases, but the same problems keep popping up.

The defense has gone from bad to worse. Dallas is the worst rebounding team in the NBA. Their offense stalls out in the fourth quarter, despite having two future Hall of Famers and elite scorers leading their charge. There is little flow, ball movement, or chemistry. There is plenty of blame to go around, and some of it must go to Luka and Kyrie.

Here are four things that must happen if the Dallas Mavericks are going to build a title contender around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Dallas Mavericks need to concentrate on defense around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving

Luka is a subpar defender made worse by his refusal to get back in transition. The 24-year-old superstar is often seen arguing for a foul on the other end as opposed to trying to stop a fast break. Teams will bring Doncic into the action plenty as he struggles to defend on the ball, and he loses focus at times allowing his man to get an easy bucket or offensive rebound.

Irving has never been a lockdown defender. The 6’2 guard is a bit undersized and his effort fluctuates on the defensive end of the floor. The opposition will pick on Kyrie too.

The Mavs are starting their build with two below-average defenders, so the focus has to be on finding players that can cover up their weakness. Through 336 minutes on the floor together, Dallas has a 113.7 defensive rating with Doncic and Irving on the floor, which would be tied for 16th in the NBA this season with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Dallas Mavericks traded their best perimeter defender to land Kyrie, and they do not have the right personnel to be a top-ten defensive team, which is the hallmark of a title contender. The Mavs must improve their perimeter defense and rim protection if they have any hope of building a title contender around their two current superstars, and they must get better on the boards.

Rebounding could be a problem for the Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving partnership

Doncic and Irving are both plus-rebounders for guards, but the Mavs are still the worst rebounding team in the league. Dallas is averaging 38.6 rebounds per game for the season and just 38.8 since acquiring Kyrie. Their rebounding percentage is slightly up as well, but the Mavericks are still one of the worst teams in the league on the boards.

Head coach Jason Kidd does not have a trusted option to turn to at the five. The Mavs signed JaVale McGee to replace Dwight Powell as the starting center, but that did not work. Powell is back starting, but he struggles to rebound. The Mavericks' other options are to play small with Maxi Kleber at the five or run with Christian Wood, who struggles mightily on defense.

Would adding one dominant big man solve their rebounding issue? It is not that simple. Adding a big man that does not stretch the floor could clog the paint when Doncic and Irving drive. Who is even available for what the Mavs can offer?

The Dallas Mavericks need to add multiple pieces this offseason, and they all have to chip in on the glass if the team is going to climb out of the basement in rebounding next season.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving need to use each other more to become title contender

In the early stages of the Luka and Kyrie partnership, it has felt like an awkward first date often. One is running the offense, while the other watches from the corner. The actions using both players have been limited, but incredibly successful when run.

Zach Lowe reported the Second Spectrum numbers on his podcast over the first 12 games. The fact that they have only 37 pick and rolls together in 12 games is insane, but the numbers are beyond elite. Hear Lowe describe them below.

Will those numbers hold up over a larger sample? Bet on no because they are something out of a video game, but getting those two involved in the play is a nightmare for any defense.

Luka runs 10.3 possessions per game as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, and Irving runs 6.0. That is over 16 per game for the season, but only three each night involve both players. Getting that number up to eight would do wonders for the Mavericks and their hopes of winning games.

For this duo to reach their ceiling, it has to become a partnership on offense. They cannot be taking turns out on the court trying to burn the defense. They need time and repetitions together, but it could be something special if both players commit to it.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving need to figure out how to win in the clutch

Since the trade, the Mavs' offensive rating in the clutch is 107.0 or nearly nine points worse per 100 possessions than their season long number. Dallas also has a negative-8.2 net rating when the score is within five points in the final five minutes.

The team is 4-9 when Doncic and Irving have played together because they have lost so many close games as their offense stalls out. There are a ton of different ways to attack this problem, but they all start with coaching. Their offense is too predictable late in games, and it is a lot of watching one-person attack.

The Dallas Mavericks need to get creative late in games. They should be trying to find ways to create easy buckets for Luka and Kyrie. Using the superstar duo in pick and rolls together is one simple way of sparking their late-game offense. The Mavs must win close games to go on a deep playoff run, so figuring out their clutch offense needs to be a priority.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are two future Hall of Famers. They can certainly be the foundation of a title contender, but the Dallas Mavericks cannot with their current roster. The front office has work to do this offseason, and it starts with re-singing Kyrie. Can they do it? Stay tuned to find out.