As Kyrie Irving, the undisputed leader of the Dallas Mavericks, will be on the bench for most of next season, it’s interesting to take a look at who might step up in his place. Or more specifically, who needs
to.
Not only in leadership, but also in understanding what it takes to perform consistently through challenges, adversity and pressure – and then doing it.
Mental toughness, we call it, when a player doesn’t shy away from pressure and adversity, but meets it head on. Not crumbling when the lights are bright is another way to put it.
With a future superstar in Cooper Flagg needing all the support and mentorship he can get to further develop this skill, and a team missing their leader, there’s a void to fill for this group.
Who may have what it takes to fill it? And who has experience to even be considered ready and able? It takes certain skills and personality traits and not everyone possesses them.
But first, let’s take a look at what Kyrie Irving brings to this team, which may make it difficult to fill his shoes. Irving is not only the veteran, leading the pack on the court by being one of the best point guards and ball-handlers in the league. He is also inspiring and mentoring this whole group off the court.
Some may call it emotional leadership, others may snicker at that, but in Irving’s case it may actually be the best description. He takes pride in having a personal and caring relationship with each player, who in turn feels connected and supported by him. This is unusual for a professional sports team, but there’s no doubt that it’s powerful. If every player feels personally cared for and supported by the leader and best player, it has the potential to remove the fear of making mistakes, as well as creating a connection that can be really beneficial on the court. In all reality, it’s the kind of intangible stuff that can make teams perform better than the sum of their parts.
The authenticity of this personality trait is not something we can expect from anyone else on this roster, however.
But mental toughness is a different matter. It comes from a mix of experience of playing through adversity and pressure, failing, and working deliberately to develop this skill. Using psychological tools like positive self-talk (I wrote about how Kyrie Irving uses these tools here), visualization, setting goals and working on not having a fear of making mistakes, as well as embracing pressure, players can gain valuable mental toughness, which always comes out on top during the big moments.
The most experienced player on this team besides Irving and Klay Thompson, who we can expect some leadership from – and hopefully consistent minutes – is Anthony Davis. One of the best centers in the league, especially defensively, who’s now playing the four, has plenty of experience playing under pressure and through a lot of adversity. Like overcoming multiple injuries, which requires a lot of mental toughness in itself.
Another player, which I personally have high expectations for, is P.J. Washington. He showed impressive leadership all through the 2024 Finals run, stepping up when the team needed him on defense especially, and standing up for his teammates in mentally tough moments, which at least once led to the Mavs gaining the mental upper hand.
The best example is also the most lauded one, which happened against the LA Clippers during the playoffs. After a kerfuffle with Tre Mann, who supposedly said “don’t look at the bench”, Washington decided that was exactly what he was going to do. And then paused to allow a little photo opp.
The entertainment value was incredible, but it was also an important sign to his teammates that he was ready to defend them and stand up for them. These things matter greatly in team sports.
Then there’s Naji Marshall. He is as tough as they come. Nobody who’s watched him play doubts that. But is he mentally strong? I’ll argue yes. After the Luka trade, he kept playing well and even stepped up his game, despite clearly suffering personally, being a big fan of Doncic and very happy to be in Dallas with him. That’s playing through adversity and not crumbling. A potential mental leader.
Another guy, who may be on another level of mental strength, at least off the court, is Dereck Lively. He lost his mom just before the playoffs in 2024, came back and kept up his performance. He did not, as other maybe less mentally strong people, try to block out his loss or suppress his feelings – he spoke openly about it. A feat of mental strength worthy of a man twice his age. When he is mentally strong enough to do that, he can pretty much do and accomplish anything in terms of adversity. Therefore, he is a potential leader here.
Dante Exum is also a player who’s shown extraordinary mental strength through many years. Working his way back from multiple serious injuries, going to Europe and consciously working with psychological tools of being present and getting the most out of the experience rather than only focusing on how to get back to the NBA. Plus playing in some of the hardest environments in the Euroleague and under extreme pressure for two years and thriving – to get a spot on the Dallas Mavericks.
These are all valuable experiences that add up to creating a mentally strong player. If he manages to stand his ground better than he did during the 2024 playoffs and develop to sustain the pressure and physicality of that moment, he will not only be a good player to have for this team, but his experience will be priceless.
Honorable mentions are Klay Thompson, who with four rings has the experience it takes, but perhaps not the personality traits. He has a more subdued demeanour generally. Also Dwight Powell, the real veteran in Dallas with 11 years on the Mavericks, has shown leadership, especially recently. He is considered a leader in the locker room, and hopefully he can be a calming factor for the younger guys.
For anyone thinking that mental toughness is not high up on the list of important skills for an elite athlete, I invite you to think about who you may trust to take the last shot in a game. Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, LeBron James. What do all these players of different sizes, position, skills and origin have in common? Mental toughness.
Note: This list doesn’t consider anyone signed during the summer, who haven’t played a minute in Dallas yet. This is due to the obvious reasons that we have no idea what they’ll look like on this team, and they have had too short of a time with the group to be in a leadership position as of now.
