Years after playing together with the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving now finds himself with the Dallas Mavericks playing against Jayson Tatum in the NBA Finals. The latter, though, got real and shared his thoughts on how his former teammate is now doing playing for the Mavs.

After winning a ring in 2016 with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving demanded a trade with the hopes of becoming the number one option down the line. His wish became reality when the Cavs sent him to Boston in exchange for a package headlined by point guard Isaiah Thomas.

His plan to become the main guy didn’t work out due to injuries hindering the Celtics from competing in the subsequent seasons. He signed with the Brooklyn Nets to play alongside All-Star forward Kevin Durant in 2019 but was traded to Dallas in 2023 when the team failed to go far in the playoffs for multiple years.

While the nice was initially blasted due to Irving’s injury history and how was deemed as a toxic teammate, it later paid off this season. Over the course of 58 regular season games, the one-time NBA champion averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

Jayson Tatum Reacts To Kyrie Irving’s Fit With The Dallas Mavericks

After several weeks, the Mavericks will soon come face-to-face against Tatum and the Celtics in the Finals. For his part, the All-Star forward expressed his thoughts on how his former teammate is doing in Dallas in a post Bobby Manning shared on X.

“Tatum: “It does seem like Dallas, obviously, has been a great fit (for Irving) … the staff and the team, they gel together … it’s great seeing Ky out there playing at a high level … and have fun doing it.”

Said he talked to Irving after the DAL games and at All-Star,” Manning tweeted.

The Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Clippers in the postseason this year by overcoming all odds. Irving averaged 22.8 points, 42% from outside the arc, 3.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game across those 17 games.

Irving’s tenure with the Boston Celtics will undoubtedly come under scrutiny with their next matchup with the Mavericks. The All-Star point guard will undoubtedly try his hardest to live up to the hype coming into the Finals.