Dallas opened training camp a few days ahead of the league-wide start because two preseason games in Macao sit on the calendar before most NBA teams tip exhibition basketball.
That early whistle also marked the first practice for Dusty May, hired from Michigan after a national championship and a 37-3 season, and the first full camp look at Kyrie Irving without medical limits since the left ACL tear in March 2025.
May described the relationship in plain terms at media day: a partnership, not a lecture circuit. Irving has seen and done as much as almost anyone still playing, May said, so the coaching moments have to add value rather than fill air. Empty instruction will not survive a nine-time All-Star who spent last season teaching from the bench while he rehabbed.
"I would expect that I'm only going to coach him when I'm able to add value instead of just trying to just say things and do things, because I anticipate he'll be able to see directly through that," May said, per Dallas Sports Journal.
Irving back on the floor
Irving told reporters he has no restrictions entering camp, roughly 18 months after the injury. The first practice, in his words, was about chemistry, communication, and getting in better shape for the preseason. He compared the feel to riding a bike - familiar without pretending the calendar rolled back unchanged - and said May let the group play off the fly after installing concepts.
May, who had never watched Irving in a practice setting before Saturday, called the debut encouraging: engaged, solution-finding, communicating with teammates. Younger players hang on Irving's words, May said, because the behaviors model what the staff wants on both ends.
Irving and Cooper Flagg still have not shared a regular-season floor. They worked together in summer sessions, and May said the first camp day was a step toward becoming proficient as a pair - two high-level offensive creators who also bring defensive instincts.
Irving noted May has already told him leadership and communication will be part of the ask, including playing on and off the ball while Flagg handles as often as he did as a rookie.
Flagg's Year 2 jumper
Flagg won Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 70 games. The three-point mark was 29.5 percent (72 of 244). May treated that as an aberration tied to usage and defensive attention, not a closed case, and said Flagg shot with confidence on Day 1.
