Jaden Hardy Discusses How Kyrie Irving Changed Mavericks’ Culture

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Since coming to the Dallas Mavericks in February, Kyrie Irving has received a lot of attention – and criticism.

No matter which team he is playing for, detractors will claim that he impairs chemistry and hurts the culture within the locker room.

But that isn’t the case, according to one of his teammates.

Jaden Hardy, the rookie star who is having a strong year, spoke to reporter Grant Afseth about Irving’s impact on the team.

According to Legion Hoops, Hardy told Afseth, “[Kyrie] tells everyone to speak up. When we are together as a team, like in the locker room, and things are not going well, he tends to speak up and let it be known how he’s feeling. A lot of guys respect that.”

Jaden Hardy:

“[Kyrie] tells everyone to speak up. When we are together as a team, like in the locker room, and things are not going well, he tends to speak up and let it be known how he’s feeling. A lot of guys respect that.”

(via @GrantAfseth, https://t.co/OOlhyZhpZy) pic.twitter.com/nzenvGVzKK

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 4, 2023

Hardy went on to say that Irving does a lot of work on his days off.

He supposedly shows up to the arena before anyone else and studies film as a way to get better too.

This is all evidence of Irving putting in a lot of effort for his team.

They need it because the Mavs are suffering a lot right now.

The Mavericks are currently out of contention for the playoffs.

There have even been reports of the front office contemplating shutting Irving and Luka Doncic down for the rest of the season.

There will be a lot of talk about what Irving has or has not done for the team since coming over in February.

His addition was supposed to change the Mavericks’ chances and immediately make them Finals contenders.

Instead, the team has only gotten worse since the trade.

That’s not all Irving’s fault but you can bet many critics will say that it is.