Kyrie Irving Joining Mavs Labeled 'Monumental' After Debut with Luka Dončić vs. Kings

The Dallas Mavericks didn't win on Saturday night, falling to a tough Sacramento Kings team in overtime, 133-128.

But it was very obvious that Kyrie Irving's addition will make this Mavs team much, much better.

In his first action with Luka Dončić in the lineup, Irving put up 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while shooting an efficient 11-of-21 from the field and 4-of-10 from three.

His partnership with Dončić seemed fluid enough in game No. 1 together, with Irving's superstar teammate adding 27 points, nine boards and five assists, shooting a cool 11-of-20 from the field, though just 2-of-9 from three.

There is little shame in losing to the very solid Kings (32-24), and after the game, much of the talk was about Irving's impact:

Granted, there will be some kinks to iron out between the two new teammates:

The challenge may be more on Dončić's end. While Irving has played with superstars in the past, like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and James Harden, Dončić has never had such a teammate.

And no, Kristaps Porziņģis doesn't count.

Dončić is a smart player, however, and it's hard to imagine him not learning to defer to Irving in certain situations. For years, Harden was the main figure for the Houston Rockets, with an enormous usage rate, but he's learned to play alongside superstar teammates.

Dončić has had to carry an enormous offensive load in his NBA career for these Mavericks. Like Harden before him, he'll learn how to share some of that burden.

The good news for Dallas is that Irving has looked comfortable and effective since being traded from the Brooklyn Nets. While expecting this team to fully come together for a title run this season might be a touch naive, the early returns are nonetheless positive.