Do Kyrie Irving's Dallas Mavs Have 'Chemistry'? 'Figuring It Out On The Fly'

The Dallas Mavericks have Kyrie Irving.

But do they have that elusive thing called "chemistry''?

Mavericks coach Dusty May is conceding that his team is still figuring out how to play around Kyrie Irving, who on Sunday in Macao played in his first NBA game in 587 days.

The "re-debut'' following a serious knee injury saw Irving score 17 points in a 132-115 preseason win over the Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena.

So there is promise here for him ... and for the starting lineup that included the perennial All-Star point guard.

That starting five: Irving alongside Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Zaccharie Risacher.

This outing marked the first game Irving and Flagg have played together, inasmuch as Irving missed all of Flagg’s rookie season.

“So we’re still working on our spacing and our relocations and figuring out what our schemes are gonna be when we have our nucleus,” said the first-year coach May. “But it’s a work in progress, and so, but (Irving) gives you a lot of options.”

More specifically, May said his team needs more cutting and off-ball movement to open up options for Irving as a distributor and as a scorer.

“When the games opened up and we’re rebounding it well, those guys were dynamic in the open court,” May said. “When we were giving up the second shots and deflating plays, we still weren’t getting into our actions quick enough.

"I think sometimes everyone kind of just stops and watches Kyrie instead of, I think especially where we are, I think a little bit more cutting to open up bigger gaps for him and a little bit of off-ball movement will make the game simpler for him, because he’s gonna make the right decision.”

In this game, Irving shot 6-of-13 with three assists and no turnovers in his 22 minutes of play.

That makes for a highly successful return for one of Dallas' centerpiece player, with more room to grow in this preseason.

Said Irving of himself and his teammates: "We vibe very well. ... Our team gets along really well, and we haven’t hit any adversity yet, so I won’t judge us too hard on that ... We’re enjoying the process right now. We hang out. We have practices where we’re all communicating, and we look to each other for advice.

"Guys have a lot to prove on this team, and it’s not just me.''

Two more preseason chances to "prove'' things for Kyrie and the Mavs comes this week. Dallas returns home to host the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT. The Mavericks then close the preseason against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at 7 p.m. CT.

How quickly will it all come together for the rebuilding Mavs, trying to rebound from a 26-win season with a new chemistry?

 "These guys are all still learning themselves,'' May said. "There’s several combinations that have never played together, and we’re figuring it out on the fly.”