Jamal Crawford has been very impressed with the Dallas Mavericks backcourt duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic and feels that they could be the most skilled backcourt duo of all time. Irving and Doncic have the quality and the numbers to show for it but it will be important for them to win the title this year to prove that Crawford’s claims are justified and not over the top.
During a conference call with fellow analysts Reggie Miller and other NBA reporters, Crawford highlighted how much he has been impressed with the Dallas duo of Irving and Doncic. They continued the discussion on whether the Dallas Mavericks are a strong contender to win the NBA title or not.
“You can make an argument that these two are the most skilled backcourt players to ever play together. Ever,” Crawford said.
Crawford was one of the premier ball handlers during his time and his understanding of the game is also very good. He sees the game from various perspectives and therefore the adulation is significant.
While he is very impressed with the duo, he has also suggested a few things on defensive skills and taking up leadership roles. He believes that the two players can make each other better while helping their team in the process. “I think this year they’ve got to hold each other accountable,” Crawford said. “There’s no way around it. ‘If we’re trying to win, you’ve got to call me out on my stuff. … We have to bring these guys along with us. We have to make these guys better. And we have to defend this only way we’ve had the chance. We’ll score enough.’”
Reggie Miller, on the other hand, shared how the Dallas Mavericks were more of a defensive unit two years ago than the current team. He brought up how they reached the Western Conference Finals and were a defensively balanced unit, something that he feels is missing in this team. “My thing with Dallas and Jason Kidd, two years ago when they got all the way to the conference finals and lost to Phoenix, they were a much better defensive team,” he said.
“This is a totally different team. They’ve got to become better defensively if they want to enter into the discussion of everyone we’ve talked about, from Denver, Phoenix, the two LA teams, Memphis, OKC,” Reggie Miller opined.
Overall, it will be exciting to see two premier ball handlers and game changers Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic play together. Their chemistry and understanding will be key for the Dallas Mavericks.
