Kyrie Irving is about to undertake his first full season in Dallas beside Luka Doncic and head coach Jason Kidd can’t wait to see the duo in action.
The Mavs did a fair bit recruiting in the offseason and acquired players like Grant Williams, Seth Curry, Richaun Holmes, Dante Exum and Derrick Jones Jr.
It was clear the team was lacking depth last season, so the above additions and draft signings Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Dereck Lively II give the team a better chance at succeeding.
Plus, it take the minutes load off their star, Kidd explained.
“But now looking at our roster, hopefully we don’t have to play [Luka] 40-plus minutes a night,” Kidd said on The Saturday Stein Line with Marc Stein. “With the depth that we have, I thought Nico [Mavs GM Nico Harrison] did an incredible job this summer.”
“But I think right now I’m excited with Luka and [Kyrie Irving] and having Luka ready to go and to achieve his goals, and that’s to win a championship.”
There has been some concern around a leg injury that Luka sustained after the All-Star break last season and carried it into the FIBA World Cup last month.
Kidd revealed how he visited Luka in Slovenia during the offseason and downplayed the injury to Stein.
“Well, we went to visit, when I say we I mean my family, we spent a week there in his hometown,” Kidd said. “It was a beautiful city and country. Got to see him practice twice with his national team. He looked incredible, he was doing two-a-days. He was in great spirits. He loves to play for his national team.
“You talk about the leg injury, I think hopefully as we go forward here he is going to be ready to go. I presume that sometimes in our career we’re not 100 percent, maybe we’re 99 or 95 percent. The more games you play, the longer your career, I think you can ask anyone, no one’s really 100 percent.”
Dallas’ first regular season test will come against San Antonio on Thursday, October 26.