Kyrie Irving Admits to Feeling "Rusty" in Mavericks Return

Published November 5, 2023 at 11:11
BY JAKE ROBINS

Irving signed an extension this summer to remain with the Dallas Mavericks for the foreseeable future and to pair up with All-Star guard Luka Doncic for a little while longer. There is a lot of hype surrounding this superstar pairing, with Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal predicting them to win the NBA championship. However, Irving's return to the lineup saw a lackluster performance. Irving has since spoken out about his play and admitted to feeling "rusty" in his latest game against the Nuggets.

Irving's Comments

Irving returned from an ankle sprain and played against the reigning champion Nuggets. He attributed some of his rust to playing in Denver, which is a mile above sea level. However, he also praised the Nuggets for starting strong and giving the Mavericks a "butt whooping" in the first quarter.

"I felt rusty to begin the game. We are in Denver, a mile above sea level, so I knew it would be interesting tonight"

"I think we can take this kind of butt-whooping that we took in the first half and really learn some things"

Although ultimately losing the game, Irving thought there were a lot of positives to take away from the defeat. Not only did he get the chance to shake off some of his rust, but he believes the Mavericks, as a whole, improved during the game and can now highlight areas to "fix" within their own game plan.

"We had a good second half or last three quarters. We can take some of the positives, but a lot of it was just effort plays and position plays that we can improve on, and I think it's good that we fixed it earlier in the season so it can help us later on down the line, it was a good experience."

"we made our runs; there were some positives to take out of it, but again, some things we got to fix"

Irving's Full Post Match Comments can be seen below.

Mavericks Hot Start

The loss to the Nuggets was actually their first of the season as they started the season with a 4-game win streak. This was mainly led by Luka Doncic, who has been averaging a league-high 33.8 points per game. You can expect this to lower slightly as Irving returns to full form and shares more of the offensive load with Doncic, but with the Slovenian playing so well, the pressure is off of Kyrie to rush back into form right away.

With the NBA in-season tournament just starting, it is the perfect time for Irving to return, as they can hope to become the first-ever champions of this tournament. It will also be interesting to see if they can hold onto their current form for the rest of the season and eventually challenge for the NBA championship next year.

Credits
Si.com

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POLL
November 5 \| 77 answers Kyrie Irving Admits to Feeling "Rusty" in Mavericks Return Who Do You Think is the Best Backcourt in the NBA This Season?
Irving and Doncic	21	27.3 %
Curry and Thompson	22	28.6 %
Booker and Beal	18	23.4 %
Harden and Westbrook	16	20.8 %
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