Kyrie Irving Breaks Down Mavericks’ Chemistry and Team-Building with Luka Dončić and Klay Thompson
Kyrie Irving shares insights on leadership, team chemistry, and season prep in a full Q&A. Read how he’s helping build continuity and readiness for the Mavericks.
DALLAS — After Monday’s Dallas Mavericks practice, Kyrie Irving spoke to local reporters for the first time since media day. After not having Luka Dončić in any of their four preseason games, the team has ramped up the intensity of their recent practices before Thursday’s regular-season opener against the San Antonio Spurs.
Irving discussed various topics, including the importance of communication, the impact of team-building activities, and the benefits of playing alongside new teammates like Klay Thompson. He reflected on his role as a leader and mentor, offering candid thoughts on how the team’s growth off the court translates to stronger connections on the floor.
Full Q&A with Kyrie Irving After Monday’s Practice:
The content below was originally paywalled.
Reporter: Jason [Kidd] talked about the intensity level of practice ever since Luka came back. You said you have kind of been the leaders as far as communication. Just how important is fostering that communication from your teammates during this time?
Irving: “It’s very important—building that continuity, building that trust, and just having fun. Finally, with everybody on the court, it’s good to have a healthy group. We’re still down a few guys, but whenever me and Luka are in practice, it’s going to be a high-intensity practice because we want to go at each other. We want to compete and set a great example for the rest of the guys. I think the rest of the guys feel the same way. We want to go as hard as we can just to make practices a little bit harder than the game.”
Reporter: Overall, where do you see this team? Obviously, we had four preseason games. You played. Where do you see this group right now?
Irving: “I mean, we’re in a great place right now. A lot of us are motivated, focused, and driven. We have our priorities straight, and we’re just ready for another long journey. I think the most important thing for us is remaining healthy, doing everything we can on the off days to better prepare for our opponents, and ramping up our film and communication when we’re preparing for games.”
Reporter: You have some history with Klay [Thompson] as far as the NBA Finals are concerned. What’s it like being his teammate?
Irving: “It’s great. I don’t take it for granted at all. Being out there with such a special talent, special player, and an even better person—it’s definitely a luxury. I don’t take it for granted any day.”
Reporter: What kind of guy is Klay when you get to know him?
Irving: “He’s a regular human being, man. He just stays to himself, loves his family, loves what he does for a living, loves helping out people, and loves traveling. He’s just an overall good person. Again, it’s a luxury that we don’t take for granted, having that type of guy and personality in our locker room.”
Reporter: It seems like so much of this summer into the season has been about team building. You and the guys were out at your place last week, Klay had the boat trip in Vegas, and all that. Have you been a part of something like that before? How much has team building become a factor in the preseason?
Irving: “The little things matter when you’re trying to get to know people. When someone takes the initiative to invite you places or invites you to their home, you don’t want to take that lightly. Not everybody is as open to that. Especially in our league, in our industry, it’s common for people to get together, but I feel like the teams that differentiate themselves have different relationships. They can talk to each other more because they’ve hung out off the court. That’s something I mentioned last year too, just when the transition happened for us. It’s when we started to develop that chemistry off the court, which led to more trust on the court. This training camp has been about being intentional with our time—whether we’re on the court together, being very communicative, or off the court, just being regular and making sure we’re there for each other. We’ve got a few guys that are having babies, new fathers, new family members added to the mix. So the tribe is growing, our family is growing, and it’s great because the community is part of this just as much as what we’re doing here. The support feels good both on and off the court.”
Reporter: With your experience, you’ve had a lot of opportunities in your career to play deep into June and then have a short offseason. There’s got to be a balance. What’s been your experience, and how do you mentor the guys dealing with the quick turnaround?
Irving: “It’s a tricky process if you haven’t been through it, and it’s tricky for anybody because you play so much basketball. You’re tired mentally, emotionally, and physically. When you’re not the winning team, it’s a long summer. It’s a lot of scrutiny and criticism you have to deal with, and all is fair in that sense. If you don’t play well, then you have to deal with that. Our motivation is at a different level this year because we know what to expect from one another. We’re dialed in with the concepts on defense, and offensively, we have all-world talent. We don’t worry about each other there. We just need to give each other space and be patient. The two words for this year are consistency and discipline, and that’s what we want to live by every single day—both on how we treat our bodies and each other off the court.”
Reporter: You mentioned on media day you referred to yourself as a ‘young old head.’ Is that advice you’re giving well-received, and are you embracing the opportunity to lead?
Irving: “Oh yeah, I’m embracing it 100%. I was just talking to one of my family members yesterday. The perception from the outside, right, I have to accept it—me being 14 years in the business, people are going to look at me differently. I’ve settled into the position as a young old head, but also done a better job of being intentional with my communication, knowing that I know better and that actions speak louder than words. I just want to lead by example and have fun doing what I love. At the same time, I’m learning how to teach better. I’m learning from Hall of Fame coaches we have here, and they’re teaching me how to teach better, so when I’m done playing, I can continue passing this on to the next generation.”
Reporter: How exciting is it to have the versatility of your offense with players like Luka, Klay, and yourself playing different roles?
Irving: “I think we can show you better than we can explain it. In practice, it’s been fun just feeling the spacing out there. Luka being back out here, you know, he starts doing all his ‘Luka magic’ stuff, and guys have to be ready to play off of that. The beautiful thing is we have guys you can play off of, guys you can throw the ball to and isolate, guys that are willing to play selflessly. When we’re out there, even when guys play iso, that’s not our only strength. We have other options. Teams are going to load up on me and Luka, so we have to do a better job as leaders to get off the ball, play different roles, and everything else will follow if we do the right things.”
Reporter: Are you saying you’re going to be a coach once you retire?
Irving: “I don’t know if I’ll be a coach at this level, man. I’m more of a consultant type. I like to make my own hours. If you know my personality, you know I’m not trying to be forced to do anything, man. So, if you tell me I have to show up at 9 a.m., I’m like, ‘Maybe more like 9:30.’ But once I’m done, I’ll definitely have one of the best academies of all time—skills, training, mental, spiritual, emotional. I’ll bring in experts from basketball and other fields, bringing youth together, old heads, and paying homage to the legends. After basketball, it’s going to be fun, but I’m enjoying this right now.”
Reporter: How important is work-life balance, especially with the way you and the team have connected off the court?
Irving: “It’s very important, man. If anyone’s had a parent out there who sacrificed most of their time to achieve their dreams, they understand what I’m talking about. I know what it looks like not to have a work-life balance, so connecting with guys on a deeper level makes this job even more worth it. Going to work, feeling good about who you’re around, and loving who you’re around—that’s important because I spend more time with these guys throughout the year than my family. The maturity to put things in perspective, knowing one game isn’t the end of the season, helps too. We’re going to get everyone’s best, so there’s no time to hang your head or be mad at a mistake. It’s all part of the learning process in a long NBA season.”
Watch Irving’s full availability:
Support Dallas Hoops Journal
As an independent Dallas Mavericks reporter, it helps when you sign up for a premium membership to read my most in-depth content. The cost is $10 per month or $100 annually. You can sign up on this link.
More Mavs-Related Reads
Follow on Other Platforms
For more Mavs, NBA, and WNBA coverage, follow Grant Afseth on X, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Be sure to subscribe on YouTube for content throughout the 2024-25 season.
