Mavs' Jason Kidd: Kyrie Irving is 'All About Basketball'; PG 'Wants to Be Coached'

Ahead of the impending arrival of point guard Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd showed no apprehension in expressing his excitement over the chance to coach the eight-time All-Star.

"We have a relationship. He's all about basketball. He wants to win. He wants to be coached. This is a great opportunity for me," Kidd told reporters on Monday.

Despite Kidd's confidence in Irving's ability to be coached, there's a level of uncertainty that came with his acquisition from the Brooklyn Nets. It was just three years ago after Brooklyn's hiring of Steve Nash that Irving said, "I don't really see us having a head coach. You know what I mean? KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach."

The 30-year-old had become a concern for the Nets because of his support of conspiracy theories and his extended absences for non-basketball reasons, including his November suspension after promoting an antisemitic film on social media and initial refusal to apologize and denounce antisemitism and missing much of the 2021-22 campaign because he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

However, when he's on the court, he's proved to be one of the best players at his position in the NBA. Irving is averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds, and he will be paired with Mavs phenom Luka Dončić to form one of the most dangerous tandems in the league.

Dončić, who is tied for the league lead with 33.4 points per game, is currently sidelined with a right heel contusion. MacMahon noted that the 23-year-old is set to miss Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, which is when Irving will be making his Mavs debut.

While Dončić and Irving will form a high-scoring duo, it's not yet clear how the two will fit together on the court. The addition of Irving is also a detriment to the defensive side of the ball for Dallas.

Still, Kidd maintains that Irving gives the Mavs (28-26) the best chance to compete for a title immediately.

"We feel that getting him is going to help put us in a position to win a championship," Kidd said.