The Dallas Mavericks' decision to pair Kyrie Irving with Luka Doncic wasn't met with universal affirmation among basketball analysts in terms of fit on the hardwood. Both Doncic and Irving need the ball in their hands to flourish; but to start the 2023-24 season, the Mavs, justifiably, have shifted Irving into more of an off-ball role, with Doncic continuing to commandeer the offense to deadly effect.

In fact, Irving's shift to being the Mavs' nominal shooting guard has prompted some reporters to compare this transition to the one Jason Kidd went through when he signed with the New York Knicks during the 2012-13 season. But the Mavs head coach, despite recognizing some of the similarities in the changes they went through, had some hilarious admissions regarding the stark differences between the two, especially where they are in their respective careers when they made those transitions.

“I wish that was a fair comparison. But I was old! […] The comparison with me with the Knicks and him here is about 9 years? But when you talk about that, he knows how to play the right way, he likes the flow, he wants the ball to move,” Kidd told reporters, per Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bovada.

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While Jason Kidd and Kyrie Irving are vastly different players regarding of where they are in their careers, the Mavs head coach revealed what qualities Irving has that makes him quite similar as a connective piece in a thriving offense. (The Mavs currently rank second in the league in offensive rating, scoring 120.5 points per 100 possessions.)

“But just the makeup of Ky and what he can do, everybody looks at him as a scorer or one of the best ever able to finish in the paint and with his other strength he just knows how to play the right way and so he can pass and find the open guy and where it’s no stress of trying to make the right play,” Kidd added. “He wants continuity and so he makes it a lot of fun to play with him because everyone’s live and I think that’s what they enjoy when they’re out there with Ky.”

Currently with a 9-3 record, whatever the Mavs are doing to maximize Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's skillsets is clearly working. And as the old adage goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.