Green feast since Irving’s arrival

Josh Green had a breakout season even before the trade for Kyrie Irving.

Since it happened last week, it has been an even bigger jump for a third-year swing.

Consider Irving impressed.

“He’s one of our young Australian kings,” said Irving, who, like Greene, was born in Australia.

Perhaps the prince is more suitable at the moment. At 22, Green is still a bit, well, green, to be king material.

But this season, he is very quickly ascending the royal line.

Green has been in the starting lineup for six games. And he’s been a positive force in every game except the first, when he and many of the other Mavericks battled Golden State at the start of a five-game road trip.

But he bounced back from that game, scoring 29 points in a win over Utah, a game that saw the Mavericks score a ridiculously plus-39 while Green was on the floor.

Since then, Green has been gaining momentum, confidence and fans.

“He’s fine,” coach Jason Kidd said with a deadpan smile. “No, he was great. What we asked him to do, he is ready. He’s not afraid of it, and that’s good to know.

“There will be times of mistakes with our young players. But as long as we stay positive and connected, a lot of good things can happen.”

And already there.

He had one of those moments on Monday against the Timberwolves, not because of how he scored, but because of the way he handled the ball.

Early in the second quarter against the Minnesota on Monday night, with the Mavericks trailing by 10 points, Green found Theo Pinson with a couple of passes in the corner, both hitting three-pointers that mentally got the Mavericks back in the game and on the scoreboard.

The early tension of Irving’s first home game was clearly distracting.

What Green is doing, especially with the arrival of Irving.

In the four games of the trip that followed the Irving trade, Green averaged 20.8 points, 5 rebounds and 62.5 percent shooting from the field, including 50 percent three-pointers (11 of 22).

He was especially astute on corner threes, where he seemed almost automatic. It seemed like Green stepped into the role of Dorian Finney-Smith before the deal sent him to Brooklyn.

But Mavericks governor Mark Cuban said Green has figured out a lot of things in his third season, and it’s not just about long-range shots.

“Josh doesn’t just catch and shoot three corners, in general,” Cuban said. “He is much more than the guy from the third corner. He can put the ball on the floor and he has great court vision, anticipation. And not many people understand that playing hard is a skill. And Josh has that skill.”

Green has also shown stronger mid-range play and fearlessness when it comes to approaching the rim.

Green 6-5 said early on that it would be a blessing to have Irving on hand to help stretch the floor and open the lanes to the ring.

“It’s really a selfless style. It’s fun, of course,” Greene said.

And Kidd said it’s entirely possible for Greene to transform into a true swingman role, starting and coming off the bench from time to time depending on the situation.

“We can see how he handles the starting situation,” Kidd said. “He didn’t do so well against Golden State. To see him come to his senses, plus 30 something, it’s almost impossible. But it’s just a roller coaster you ride with a young player.”

Irving said of his compatriot: “Another guy from the homeland who is doing very well. He does all the little things. He has a lot of raw talent, a lot of athleticism.”

Hardaway is seated: The Mavericks were without Tim Hardaway Jr on Monday against the Minnesota as he sat out with a strained right hamstring.

Kidd said it’s not yet clear if Hardaway will be available in Denver on Wednesday for the final game ahead of the week-long All-Star break.

“Day after day,” Kidd said. “He’s feeling better, so we’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow and hopefully he’ll be on the road.”

The Mavericks are missing Davis Bertans (left calf) and Maxi Kleber (right hamstring).

Briefly: Before the game, Cuban was asked what his reaction was to the Irving trade, to which he said, “My son flew unaccompanied to Sacramento to watch Luka and Kairi play together. This is a kind of indication. Everyone loves it. That was great. Everyone is excited. I’m excited too. I’m 11 baby.” However, he preached a little patience. “It will take time, but I have no doubt about all this. I have never seen high basketball IQ players fail to play together. Because they all know the game.” . . . On Tuesday, the Mavericks will travel to Denver for the final game on Wednesday before the All-Star break.

Twitter: @ESefko