The Dallas Mavericks committed to their star backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving when they signed the latter to a three-year deal in free agency.
Doncic and Irving make up arguably the most talented starting backcourt in the league though the pairing hasn’t resulted in as many wins as the Mavericks would’ve hoped.
Currently, Dallas is eighth in the Western Conference and would need to win a Play-In Tournament game if they wanted to qualify for the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Offense hasn’t been an issue for the two as Doncic and Irving make the Mavericks one of the highest-scoring teams in the league.
Defensively, though, is where the duo is weak as opposing teams have no problem targeting them in half-court situations.
Shaquille O’Neal believes that the Mavericks will need to split the pair up if they want to raise their title ceiling via TNT.
“These two guys, in my opinion, they’re the same player. … When you have two guys that are doing the same thing… I don’t think it’s gonna work,” O’Neal said.
“These two guys, in my opinion, they’re the same player. … When you have two guys that are doing the same thing… I don’t think it’s gonna work.”@Shaq on Luka and Kyrie as a duo pic.twitter.com/JwUwD6NAoK
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 7, 2024
O’Neal notes that Doncic and Irving need the basketball to be at their best and their primary skill is scoring and shooting.
While it makes for a deadly offense, it’s hard to truly maximize one or the other.
The best teams in the NBA have stars that amplify one another, but Doncic and Irving almost take turns having the basketball.
With Dallas still in the postseason race, major changes likely won’t be made but another playoff letdown could make for an interesting summer.
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