When the Dallas Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving in February of 2022, there was tons of uncertainty from fans and media about how he would fit in Dallas on and off the floor.
Irving's reputation in the locker room was not great from the outside looking in (from what the media reported), and his reputation off the court wasn't much better. He was also unable to stay healthy with the Brooklyn Nets, and Nico Harrison made a move that would forever trade this chapter of Mavericks history.
He was able to land Irving at an inexpensive price, and although fans and media thought Harrison was taking a big risk, he didn't. Harrison knew what he was getting into, and it has been a dream scenario for both sides.
Although it took considerable time for Irving to get rolling in Dallas, he is now having one of the best seasons of his career as a 14-year NBA veteran. Irving is averaging 24.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from downtown.
Irving goes from locker room concern to trusted leader
Irving's ability to stay relatively healthy combined with the fact that he is playing excellent basketball has made him a fan favorite in Dallas. While his on-court performance has shined, the change of narrative about his off-court demeanor has been just as pivotal for his legacy.
Irving is the vocal leader of the Mavericks, and all of his teammates would agree with that statement. When things get hard, they look to Irving. His calm playstyle and ability to take over a game at any time is unbelievable, and his incredible clutch gene has led Dallas to several wins during his time here.
"He’s amazing," Mavs guard Quentin Grimes said after Dallas' victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. "He’s been vocal every day in the locker room, practice, film. That’s going to be big carrying on into the season whenever things might go rough again."
Grimes has only been in Dallas for a few months, but he praised Irving's leadership on and off the court. He said that Irving's experience is huge in this, and it makes it that much easier for his teammates to follow suit.
"It makes it easy for us to listen and kind of just pay attention to what he’s saying and just go out there and do it because he’s done it," Grimes said. "It’s a blessing to have a guy like that in our locker room."
Grimes' quote about Irving is just the tip of the iceberg when diving into how Irving has impacted this team, and they are quickly demolishing the narrative of Irving being a bad teammate that has plagued him over the last few years. This narrative was created from the outside, to begin with, and his maturity ever since joining the Mavs has been stellar. Almost everyone who talks about Irving raves about his personality, even at his past stops, and the chatter of him not being a good teammate is disappearing in front of everyone's eyes.
He owned up for his struggles after the NBA Finals last season, remained patient about his fit next to Luka Doncic and on the team as a whole, and has been a model citizen off the floor. The Mavericks couldn't be happier about how he has impacted the team.
The impact that he has made on everyone around him should not go unnoticed, and his maturity on and off the floor has helped Doncic specifically. Their bond grew last year, and they have turned into one of the best duos in the NBA. Doncic looks up to him, and he always seems to be talking about how much Irving means to him when asked.
Irving has also been huge in Jaden Hardy's development, and they have built a special bond. He is always giving Hardy advice, and Hardy always speaks highly of Irving any time that he is asked about him.
The narrative about Irving being a "locker room cancer" is gone, and now he is known as the leader of the locker room.
