After Doncic's absence, the Mavericks won first in the West, and it turned out that Irving's ability to lead the team was underestimated

Today, the Mavericks defeated the Thunder, who are in first place in the West, on the road without Doncic. Irving scored 23 points and 6 assists in the game today, which was a good link for the team's offense. PJ Washington, who started the game, scored 27 points and 17 rebounds. The Mavericks' bench players played very well today, with four players on the bench scoring in double figures. The overall style of play of the whole team is very reasonable.

In Doncic's absence, you'll find that the Mavericks' overall offense is very evenly distributed. Even the bench lineup has a very even shot. And Irving didn't blindly focus on individual offense on the offensive end, but spread more opportunities to his teammates. Irving's overall shot didn't go over 20 times today. In the past, when Doncic led the team to play, his personal percentage of shots was very high. Averages more than 20 shots per game. And he is habitually immersed in singles. Most of the ball is in your own hands. Although their stats are very good, the overall movement of the team is not so smooth.

But today, without Doncic, the characteristics of the other players have been fully developed, and the overall movement of the team has been more fluid. Irving is not selfish on the offensive end and is constantly looking for opportunities for his teammates. In addition, the Mavericks' defensive ability in this game is also very good, at least in terms of guard defense, they will not be easily broken by the opponent.

Through this game, we can clearly feel that Irving's ability to lead the team is very strong, and he is no worse than Doncic's ability to lead the team. And Irving is currently leading the way, taking the initiative to take on the heavy responsibility on the defensive end. Doncic has shown a negative mood on the defensive end in past games, and he looks more like a player who focuses on offense and completely ignores defense. Why did the Mavericks lose in so many games? It comes down to their poor defense end, especially the defense of important players.

So Kidd should learn some lessons from this game and make sure Doncic focuses on improving his defensive ability in the next games. As a star player in a team and taking up a lot of playing time, if his defensive ability is very poor, then it can easily be a focus for the opponent.

Through this game, it was also proved that the Mavericks have many players who are not bad, but they lack opportunities to perform on the court. The Mavericks will still want to de-average the ball more likely in the future. Don't put too much offense around one person, don't turn into a singles brigade. In this way, on the offensive end, it is equivalent to a hammer deal. Once Doncic is in a slump, the Mavericks will have a hard time winning. I wonder what the fans think?