By james art The Utah Jazz fight at the start of 2024-25 NBA season, suffering four straight losses. Among them was a 110-102 defeat by Dallas Mavericks last Monday, a game in which the Jazz head coach Will Hardy expressed admiration for one of Dallas’ stars.
“He is one of the most skilled players I have ever seen” Hardy said of Kyrie Irving during his postgame press conference at the American Airlines Center. Although he admitted “Obviously I haven’t been in the NBA in a long time,” Hardy added: “You’d be hard-pressed to name ten guys who have ever played in this league who are more skilled than him.”
That high mark followed an impressive performance by Irving, who led the way Dallas with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Overshadowing even Luka Doncic and Klay ThompsonIrving took over, leading the Mavericks to a hard fought and decisive victory.
The virtues of Kyrie
Hardy didn’t stop at just ranking Irving among the best; he explained what makes the Guard so exceptional. “The spectacular plays he makes, the crazy finishes, the incredible ball handling are the things that make the highlights on Instagram and all that stuff.” Hardy began.
Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks handles the ball during the NBA game at Footprint Center
“But his fundamentals are incredible… He is one of the most fundamentally sound players we have. Watching Kyrie shoot an open pull-up jumper is how you’re going to teach someone to shoot it. Its base is perfect and wide. He jumps straight up and down,” Hardy said clearly showing his admiration for the guard.
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High hopes for Dallas
After reaching the NBA Finals last season, the Dallas Mavericks are determined to take it one step further. They have redoubled their confidence in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the pillars of last season’s success, and added another star to the mix: Klay Thompson.
With Thompson looking to return to peak form, the Mavericks are poised to be strong contenders in the Western Conference. They started the season on a high, winning three of their first four games, showing the potential to meet – and even exceed – high expectations.