Kyrie Irving on his future with Dallas, playing alongside Luka Doncic / News - Basketnews.com

Kyrie Irving avoided addressing his long-term future with the Dallas Mavericks, but referred to his on-court collaboration with Luka Doncic.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports-Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports-Scanpix

Kyrie Irving isn't interested in talking about what his long-term future could be with the Dallas Mavericks, and he doesn't understand why people don't think he can play well off the ball.

Kyrie Irving

Team:Dallas MavericksPosition:PG, SGAge:30Height:191 cmWeight:87 kgBirth place:Melbourne, AustraliaProfileNewsStatistics

"All I know, this is really playing basketball with a lot of high-level, high-IQ players and making it work," Irving said before his first home game with the Mavericks and All-Star teammate Luka Doncic.

"Every single time I step foot out there, I get a chance to prove to myself that I can play with anybody and everybody and still be efficient and be myself."

Irving's home debut in Dallas came a week after the blockbuster deal became official to bring the potential free agent from the Brooklyn Nets. His first three games with the Mavericks were on the road, and he played with Doncic for the first time Saturday night. He had 28 points and Doncic 27 in an overtime loss at Sacramento. It was followed by a home loss to the Timberwolves (121-124) on Monday.

At the end of the game, Kyrie Irving ended up leading the team with 36 points on 15/23 from the field, playing more dynamically off-ball.

Luka Doncic on his side finished with 33 points on 50% from the field, plus 12 rebounds and 6 assists, but the two ended up exchanging passes and avoided shooting the ball with 9 seconds left on the game clock. Ultimately, the Wolves got what they wanted.

Irving desires to maneuver away from referring to him and Luka as a duo:

"To be sincere, can we transfer away from that phrase ‘duo’? It will get sort of watered down a bit in our league, and generally, it leaves out plenty of the gamers that do plenty of our soiled work," he asked.

When asked about playing with the Slovenian star, Irving made it clear that each member of the team is valuable, but said that he is looking forward to having success with a player of Doncic's caliber.

Luka Doncic

MIN:36.54PTS:33.24 (57.87%)REB:8.92As:8.12ST:1.47BL:0.49TO:3.69GM:49ProfileNBA2022/2023

"It feels great. We just have to get more timely stops and take care of a few possessions. That can go either way. We're playing in the Western Conference, and I am learning that there's a lot of physicality [and] a lot of players that go get buckets.

When you're playing alongside somebody that has the consistency to score the ball, make plays, and really challenge the defense to make adjustments like Luka does, then we obviously are a force together to be reckoned with," he said.

"Whether we're being in pick-and-roll, or whether we're making plays for one another off each other, so I think that's the exciting future that I see alongside him."

Questions have persisted about if Irving can play off the ball, which he has done with LeBron James and others. Irving pointed out that Doncic might be the one who hasn't had that experience, but that he is going to play his style of the ball no matter what.

"I don't know what the misconception is whether or not I can play off the ball, but every single time I step foot out there, I get a chance to really prove to myself that I can play with anybody and everybody and still be efficient and be myself," he said.

Mark Cuban was also optimistic about the future of his star players' relationship on the court. "They both have huge & incredible basketball IQs. So, they both can play that’s what matters. I have never seen a situation where guys w high basketball IQs can’t play together," he told Landon Buford.

The Mavericks, with 23 games remaining after Monday night's game against Minnesota, are part of a crowded mix for a playoff spot. They went into the game fourth in the Western Conference, only three games ahead of 11th place - the first spot left out of the postseason.

On a more personal note, Irving admitted that he was "rambunctious" in his 20s and was asking a lot of questions about life and the world around him. He said that stepping into the spotlight as a teenager put a lot of pressure on him at a young age and he's grown to focus on his family and see a bigger purpose than basketball.

"Oh man, I would love to be well-liked by everybody. Oh man, how the world would be so perfect for me," Irving said with a sigh and a laugh.

"That's just not it. That's just not it for I don't think anyone in this room. I think we have family members that we don't necessarily get along with all the time, friends that we don't necessarily talk to every day. But the genuine love that you have in your heart is the only thing that you can really control."

I have open dialogue with everybody that spends time with me, wants to have a conversation, wants to ask me questions. I just think that if you try to get to know me within this workspace and you expect me to be on all the time and say the right things and do the right things, it's not something you can really expect from somebody. I'm just not a perfect robot that can go around giving all the right answers all the time or trying to be something that someone else wants me to be."

As for what happens after this season, the eight-time All-Star said that question constantly getting asked just puts unwanted distractions on him and the team.

"I've dealt with it before and it’s very emotionally draining to ask questions about what’s the long term," Irving said.

"What the future holds is really only going to be dictated by what I do right now, and how I prepare for those next steps, and that's being the best teammate that I can in that locker room and a great leader out here, I think within the Dallas community.

So we're just putting that to bed and focusing on what we have ahead as a team."

Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.