The Dallas Mavericks are 7-4 through 11 games this season, a massive improvement from where they were at this point last season.

A big reason for the turnaround is because of the return of Kyrie Irving, who missed all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL. Pairing him with Cooper Flagg, who has taken a jump in his second season, has made the Mavs a formidable opponent.

Talking heads throughout the offseason were curious about Irving's fit alongside Flagg, mostly because of the 15-year age difference. It wasn't difficult to see that they would fit well alongside each other, as they're both selfless stars and great playmakers.

When Irving has played, the Mavericks are 7-2, showing just how important he is to this team. After Monday's win over the Indiana Pacers, Irving was asked about playing alongside Flagg, and he was as complimentary as ever.

“We definitely are having a lot of fun, including with all our teammates and just the support we give each other. I think, like you said, I’ve played with a few other great players in the league. I had the luxury of watching them up close, being in workouts, being in some high-level games, winning a lot of games and losing a lot of games. So, just learning on the fly, I think that's key, and just enjoying the process. And I feel like that's what we're doing," Irving started.

"We keep calling him a teenager, but he pays way beyond his years and got to give him his flowers. Just the way he's always in attack mode, the way he sees the game, and he's always getting others involved," Irving continued. "He’s very selfless and I think it helps out our team a lot, including myself. Just seeing him be able to make plays for others, but also when he's calling his own number, and he's getting in that paint, and he's trying to get the most efficient shot possible.

"You know, most young guys will probably move away from that contact, but it seems like this newer generation that's coming into our league, they fear nothing, and I think he falls right in line with that. I’m grateful to have him on the wing with me, and just consistently telling each other that there's another level we can get to and we can keep pushing and keep getting better. So that's a great, great thing that we have going right now.”

How Far Can Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving Take Mavericks?

The Western Conference is so deep, that even with injuries to some big stars, it's hard to make progress in the standings.

Dallas is 7-4, and that's only good enough to be the 9th seed right now. Minnesota has done a great job withstanding the injury to Anthony Edwards, as has Oklahoma City with Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Cason Wallace.

The season is only a few weeks old, so plenty will change in the standings, but the duo of Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving should be good enough to make the postseason, which would be huge to have that postseason experience for such a young team.

And when you have Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg closing games, anything can happen once you get there.

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