Over the last few years, fans of the Dallas Mavericks have been hoping their team would improve its defensive plans.
But according to Mavericks newcomer Quentin Grimes, the team already has a very underrated and helpful defender.
Speaking to the press and Joey Mistretta, per ClutchPoints, Grimes said Kyrie Irving has what it takes to keep Dallas’ defense strong.
Grimes said:
“Kyrie [Irving] kind of an underrated defender… Usually good offensive players are pretty underrated defenders… When I was in Brooklyn, I felt like he was always an underrated defender in my opinion.”
“Kyrie [Irving] kind of an underrated defender… Usually good offensive players are pretty underrated defenders… When I was in Brooklyn, I felt like he was always an underrated defender in my opinion.”
– Quentin Grimes
(via @JoeyMistretta_) pic.twitter.com/0dHt6xGvPy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 7, 2024
Irving is known for a lot of things, including being considered one of the best shooters and closers in the league.
But not a lot of people talk about his defense.
Then again, he’s not often tasked with very big defensive roles for Dallas, and head coach Jason Kidd typically relies on other people to get that job done.
Instead, he wants Irving to do what Irving does best: outsmart, outplay, and outscore his opponents.
Dallas’ defense has gotten a bit better recently but it was still a big problem for them last season, including during the NBA Finals.
Because of their lack of defense, it felt like the Boston Celtics were able to get just about anything they wanted.
There is no doubt the team will be focusing on defense even more in 2024-25, even though they haven’t made many changes to help with that over the offseason.
Irving is a time-tested and dedicated player who can do many things but can he improve his defensive game even more in the season ahead?
