'It's Great,' Says Luka Doncic About Upcoming Partnership With Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving made his debut as a member of the Dallas Mavericks in their 110-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, and Luka Doncic appears to have foreseen his new teammate's big night.

"I just saw him today. It's great. You can see how good he is, so I really think this should be good for us. Obviously, the expectations are bigger now, but we just gotta make it work and I think we will," Doncic said during the halftime interview.

Doncic was not on the floor for the Mavericks as he is still dealing with issues to his heel, but Irving proved that he was more than capable of stepping into his shoes.

Irving had already tallied 13 points entering halftime as the Mavericks were up by 15 points on the Clippers and the offense was running along smoothly with him as the main playmaker.

Whether he was facilitating the plays or being utilized as the shooter, Irving was extremely effective for the Mavericks, ending the night with a game-high 24 points to go along with his five assists, four rebounds, a steal, and a block in 36 minutes of action for a plus-minus of 11–the highest on the team.

The Clippers were throwing anything and everything, including the kitchen sink, at trying to stop the Mavericks' offense, but with guys like Theo Pinson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Reggie Bullock lacing 12 of their 23 attempts, any notions of a comeback were laid to rest.

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd previously mentioned that Irving will play a secondary starring role to complement Doncic and while fans are yet to see it materialize, the team looks to be in good hands–especially when they get to share the floor sometime soon.

However, the balance of power in the Western Conference has shifted suddenly towards Arizona after the Phoenix Suns acquired Kevin Durant in a mega deal.

Doncic and the Mavericks were responsible for the Suns being ousted in last year's playoffs which featured a drubbing of epic proportions as Dallas beat them 123-87.

Irving and Durant are now suddenly on opposing sides in the same conference and fans are already salivating at the thought of seeing a rematch between the two franchises.

But knowing how calculated of an owner Mark Cuban is, it would not be a surprise to see the Mavericks swing for a deal that would net them a highly-coveted defensive ace that could tip the scales in their favor on their journey to the NBA Finals.

Until such a scenario comes to pass, the budding partnership in Dallas between an NBA champion and a bona fide superstar from Slovenia is definitely a story to watch in the second half of the season.