Without a doubt, All-Star guard Kyrie Irving has been an important piece that has elevated the Dallas Mavericks to contention this year. His teammate, forward PJ Washington, revealed how much of an impact he has done for the squad ahead of the NBA Finals.
Before arriving in Dallas, Irving spent almost five seasons playing for both the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. However, those two stints never really compared to his six-year run with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which resulted in a championship with LeBron James.
Instead of winning rings, Irving found himself stuck in two different toxic situations in Boston and Brooklyn from 2017 to 2023. By that point, the narrative surrounding him painted the point guard to be a demanding diva that kills any chemistry in the locker room. For this reason, the Mavericks were able to swoop in and get Irving while other teams stayed far away from him.
This season showed another side of Irving that hasn’t been seen in a long time. Instead of the villain he’s painted out to be, the former Cleveland star has won over his teammates, including Slovenian guard Luka Doncic. As a result, the Mavs are a tighter unit that plays a lot more differently in the past few weeks than they had last season.
Dallas Mavericks’ PJ Washington Reveals Kyrie Irving’s Big Impact on the Team Ahead of NBA Finals
Before the NBA Finals, Washington spoke to the media and explained why Irving has been so instrumental in helping their team make it this far. The former Charlotte Hornets forward shared his thoughts in a tweet by Landon Thomas on X:
PJ Washington: “Kai, he’s done a great job keeping us cool, calm & collected. He’s been here before obviously a number of times. Telling us to feel every emotion, come out & be ourselves. At the end of the day, we have to go out & win four games. That’s all we’re worried about,” Thomas tweeted.
Apart from bringing Doncic and the Mavericks together, Irving has also been very productive on the court. Over the course of 17 playoff games, the Dallas star posted averages of 22.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest.
With Washington’s revelation pulling back the curtain on the Mavericks’ chemistry, it’s finally known that Irving’s experience and leadership have been important factors to their success. Of course, all of those things will be tested soon against Jayson Tatum and the Celtics.
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