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Kyrie Irving struggled with his shot to open the 2023-24 season despite the Dallas Mavericks' success. Irving has shot the ball better in recent action though. The Mavs guard revealed advice he received from his father, Drederick, to help break out of his slump, advice that NBA legend Kobe Bryant previously gave Irving as well.
“Just get my right elbow pointed. I talked to my dad a few days ago, and he always loves to remind me to keep my right elbow pointed,” Irving said following the Mavs' victory on Friday, via Grant Afseth of si.com. “That's something that Kobe used to tell me as well, just as a reminder. And then just take my time, get my feet underneath me.”
Irving has still found ways to contribute despite his shooting inefficiency at times. But as NBA fans know, Irving is far too talented of a shooter to continue to struggle. He's already bouncing back, and it seems Irving's father and Kobe Bryant deserve a lot of credit.
Kyrie Irving's 2023-24 season stats
The 31-year-old is averaging 21.3 points per game on 43 percent field goal and 33.3 percent three-point shooting so far during the 2023-24 season. For his career, however, Irving has shot over 39 percent from deep and 47 percent from the field. His track record suggests that better days are ahead.
Still, Irving has been tremendous in terms of finding open teammates. He's averaging 6.7 assists per contest up to this point, and Irving is also turning the ball over just 1.9 times per game.
The Mavs hold a 7-2 record with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic leading the way. Dallas has some questions to answer on their roster still, but this team needs to be taken seriously in the Western Conference. They are clearly ready to compete and potentially make a deep playoff run.
For now, the Mavericks will focus on preparing for their Sunday game against the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:00 PM EST.
