Kyrie Irving Reveals Kobe Bryant's Advice to Him

The Dallas Mavericks have started this season incredibly, boasting an 80% win rate. However, surprisingly, superstar guard Kyrie Irving has been in somewhat of a shooting slump, making a career-low 43% of his shots. Now, as he begins to turn his form around, Irving has revealed that the reason for his slump is some advice that Kobe Bryant once shared with him.

Irving's Contribution to the Mavericks

Even with his poor shooting percentages as of late, Irving has managed to be a key contributor to the Mavericks' success. He has still averaged over 20 points per game, but his main highlight has been his playmaking this season. Irving is recording his second-highest assists per game at 6.7, and his newfound ability to facilitate has helped open up the Dallas offense for Luka Dončić to thrive.

With his shooting much improved over the last couple of games, Irving can become even better this season and help push the Mavericks toward an NBA championship. His return to form couldn't have come at a better time either, as the NBA in-season tournament is now fully underway, and with the run that the Mavericks are on, you have to consider them among the favorites to win the inaugural cup.


Kobe's Advice

After breaking his shooting slump, Irving was asked how he was able to get back in rhythm. He shared some old advice that Kobe Bryant used to give him when he was playing.


Having last played almost a decade ago, many of the new superstars in the league today grew up idolizing Kobe, and before his tragic passing, he actually acted as a mentor to many of those stars such as Jayson Tatum, Julius Randle, and Kyrie Irving. With these players still using Kobe's advice to this day, it's nice to know that there is still a little bit of the Mamba mentality instilled in the NBA today.

Credits
Clutchpoints