Kyrie Irving will always have doubters and now that he’s on a longer-term deal with Dallas, their assistant coach can’t wait to see what’s in store.
During free agency and after so much speculation about where Irving would end up, he opted to stay in Dallas on a three-year $120 million deal.
Given Kyrie’s past dramas in Brooklyn, some questioned whether giving the eight-time All-Star a deal of that nature was the right move.
But Dallas’ God Shammgod has a message for those doubters.
“They’re gonna see this year,” Shammgod said recently on the Knuckleheads Podcast, in reference to Irving.
Due to sensational trade requests out of Brooklyn, plus his COVID vaccination stance (which forced him to miss games), he has built up a negative reputation with some folks.
Shammgod says that things aren’t always what they seem and that people shouldn’t be so quick to judge someone they don’t know personally.
“As a person, he’s special,” Shammgod said. “That’s why when people say stuff, I’m like ‘Bro, do you know him?’
“It’s just amazing to see the things that he can do. He’s one of the people that got it all. It ain’t just ball handling; he’s got all the layups, shots, everything. He’s just a great person and, a great player. He’s always trying to teach the young guys on the team.”
Irving hasn’t yet played a full season in Dallas so the upcoming 2023-24 season will be his first.
His combination with Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic was a little clunky at times during the back end of last season, but as the saying goes, good things take time.
Dallas owner Mark Cuban, for one, thinks the pair will be a formidable duo and that last season they weren’t the problem.
In August, Cuban explained how Irving and Doncic can thrive no matter where they are on the court.
“He [Irving] can play the 2 and when Luka’s out of the game, he’ll play point,” Cuban said on The Pat Bev Podcast With Rone. “Luka’s that good that when Luka’s in there, if Kai needs to run to the corner, he’ll run to the corner. If they double him and he needs to come to the foul line, just get a bounce pass and play 4-on-3, what’s better than that?”