Kyrie Irving, a star player for the Dallas Mavericks, is never afraid to say what he really thinks. CNN updated their lists of NBA players after the start of the preseason, and Irving didn’t hold back when they did. Irving, who was ranked No. 34 overall, wasn’t the first player to respond, but his answer, via ClutchPoints, was the most interesting.

“What the hell do you care?” I’ll never do it. It doesn’t matter what the rankings say in the league, not from ESPN or any of these other media outlets. Irving wrote, “Most of the analysts are not reliable sources for me, and I don’t trust them or their opinions.”

Mavs fans will be interested in Irving’s extremely honest answer. They hope that he and Luka Doncic can help the team make it far in the playoffs in 2023–24. Even though Irving doesn’t care about the ranks, this might push him even more.

Kyrie Irving is getting ready for the 2023–24 season

The Mavs’ Kyrie Irving

Irving is a great NBA player and is 31 years old. It’s strange that he’s ranked 34th, but Irving can easily move up if he has a good 2023–24 season.

Last season, the Mavs point guard scored 27.1 points per game between Dallas and the Brooklyn Nets. He also had 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. Irving also made 49.4% of his shots from the field and 37.9% of his shots from beyond the line. After being moved to the Mavs, his field goal and three-point percentages went up.

Dallas didn’t make the playoffs, though. Their sad end to the 2022–23 season will only make Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and the rest of the team more determined to do better next time.

It looks like Dallas will be a contender, but it will be hard for them to make it far in the playoffs in the Western Conference. There are a lot of good teams in the conference, so Dallas will need more than just Kyrie and Luka to do well. It will take the work of the whole team.

The Mavs could surprise people in the West if they play as well as everyone thinks they will and stay healthy.