(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
The Dallas Mavericks are looking scary right now.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are firing on all cylinders, and it seems like their defense is finally ready to show up.
This team has been one of the best in the league since the trade deadline, and the additions they made helped them take a major leap forward.
Nonetheless, as spectacular as Doncic has been, Stephen A. Smith also wanted to give Kyrie his flowers.
Talking on “First Take,” Smith even made a case for him being the Comeback Player of the Year.
Kyrie Irving is @stephenasmith‘s Comeback Player of the Year pic.twitter.com/xbIBVDZSJD
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 8, 2024
He argued that Irving is finally healthy, focused, and available, and that’s why he’s been able to be so special.
He talked about how Kyrie missed plenty of time last season for “a multitude of reasons,” but he’s been available now.
Irving played just 60 games last season between the Brooklyn Nets and the Mavericks, being suspended after promoting an anti-semitic documentary on social media.
His first months in Dallas were bittersweet, as he got nice numbers, but the team slid in the standings and missed the playoffs.
Now, he’s averaging 25.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers per game on 49.6/41.0/90.7 shooting splits.
Kyrie might not qualify for being Comeback Player of the Year after making 60 appearances last season, but Smith does have a valid point there.
Even so, his skills and offensive impact have never been in doubt.
The Mavericks are a legitimate threat to come out of the Western Conference, and you don’t want to come across a scorer like Kyrie in a seven-game series, let alone alongside Luka Doncic.
The post Stephen A. Smith Names His NBA Comeback Player Of The Year appeared first on The Cold Wire.