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“Honestly, I Don’t Think We Were Ready…”: Kyrie Irving Addresses His and Luka Doncic’s Shortcomings Last Season

Published 09/29/2023, 2:15 AM EDT

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When Kyrie Irving got traded to Dallas in February, everyone expected the Mavericks to make a run to the NBA finals. Having been to the Western Conference finals in 2022 with only one superstar, analysts were sure Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving together would take over the league. But that is not how things played out in Dallas. Luka and Kyrie fell way short of the expectations and did not even make last season’s playoffs.

As the NBA world tried to analyze their failure, Kyrie Irving revealed the superstar duo’s shortcomings that led to the Dallas Mavericks’ early exit.

Kyrie Irving addresses Failure with Luka Doncic

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The Dallas Mavericks are ready for the upcoming NBA season. The team will head to Madrid for an exhibition match against Real Madrid. Their superstar duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic are also expected to suit up for the upcoming encounter. Before heading to Madrid, Kyrie addressed the media and talked about his failure after being paired with Slovenian sensation Luka Doncic. Kyrie said, “It was so quick last year, and it was so much pressure on us to win now.”

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Uncle Drew joined forces with Luka in February, and the duo did not have enough time to build their on-court chemistry. With both superstars being ball-dominant players, their roles together were not defined. That led to Luka and Kyrie being “Too Passive” at times, which hurt the team’s performance. “We were answering a lot of questions that honestly I don’t think we were ready for.” the veteran guard added.

Maybe the outcome would have been different if Kyrie got more time with Luka Doncic.

Kyrie Irving could turn his career around in Dallas

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The world could not witness the full potential of Kyrie-Luka duo last season due to a lack of time and preparation. Now that Kyrie has re-signed with the Mavericks on a 3-year $126 million deal, the duo has enough time to build their chemistry and wreak havoc on the league. Kyrie’s career has gone a bit haywire since he left LeBron James’ company in Cleveland. The former Champion has bounced from one team to another and has not been able to find much success after his 2016 title win.

USA Today via Reuters

Playing with Luka Doncic could be the turning point of Uncle Drew’s career. The NBA world knows how dominant Kyrie is when he is on the court. He is arguably the best ball-handler in NBA history. Teaming up with a superstar like Luka could reignite Kyrie’s fire, and he can get back to the level of success that he had playing alongside King James.

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Watch This Story: Tyler Reddick Steals Luka Doncic’s Limelight; Michael Jordan Asks $140 to Carry Dallas Mavericks Star’s Glory on Foot

The Dallas Mavericks fans are excited to see their superstar duo back in action and are hoping for a different outcome this season.

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Written by:

Rohan Bhaunt

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Rohan is an NBA Content Writer at EssentiallySports. He is a state-level basketball player and has been a fan of the NBA for over a decade. This allows him to deep dive into the sport and provide a fresh outlook.
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Edited by:

Bilal Handoo