Josh Green was having a breakthrough season even before the trade for Kyrie Irving.

Since that happened last week, it’s been an even bigger jump for the third-year swingman.

Consider Irving impressed.

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

Perhaps prince might be more fitting, at the moment. At 22, Green’s still a bit, well, green to be King material.

But he’s ascending the royal line very quickly this season.

Green has been in the starting lineup for six games now. And he’s been a positive force in all but the first one, when he and a lot of other Mavericks struggled against Golden State on the opener of the five-game road trip.

But he rebounded from that game with a 29-point showing in the win at Utah, a game in which the Mavericks were a ridiculous plus-39 when Green was on the floor.

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

“He’s done all right,” coach Jason Kidd said with a deadpan smile. “Nah, he’s been great. What we’ve asked him to do, he’s up for it. He’s not afraid of it and that’s good to know.

“There’s going to be times of mistakes with our younger players. But as long as we stay positive and connected, a lot of good things can happen.”

And have already.

He had one of those moments Monday against the Timberwolves, not with his scoring, but with his ballhandling.

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

The early electricity of Irving’s first home game had clearly been distracting.

Which Green has been doing a bunch of, particularly since Irving’s arrival.

In the four games on the road trip that came after Irving’s trade, Green averaged 20.8 points, 5 rebounds and shot 62.5 percent from the field, including 50 percent on three-pointers (11-of-22).

He was particularly sharp on corner three-pointers, where he seemed almost automatic. It almost seemed like Green stepped into the role Dorian Finney-Smith had before the trade sent him to Brooklyn.

But Mavericks’ governor Mark Cuban said that Green has figured a lot of things out in his third season and it’s not just shooting the long ball.

“Josh is not just a catch-and-shoot corner three guy – at all,” Cuban said. “He’s a lot more than the corner three guy. He can put the ball on the floor and he’s got great court vision, anticipation. And not many people realize that playing hard is a skill. And Josh has that skill.”

Green also has shown a stronger midrange game and a fearlessness when it comes to driving to the rim.

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

“It’s a really unselfish style. It’s fun, for sure,” Green said.

And Kidd said it’s entirely possible that Green morphs into a true swingman’s role, starting sometimes and coming off the bench at times depending on the situation.

“We’ll be able to see how he handles a starting situation,” Kidd said. “He didn’t do so well against Golden State. To see him bounce back, plus-30-something, that’s almost impossible. But that’s just the rollercoaster you ride with a young player.”

Said Irving of his countryman: “Another guy coming from the homeland who’s doing extremely well. He does all the little things. He has a lot of raw talent, a lot of athleticism.”

Hardaway sits: The Mavericks were without Tim Hardaway Jr. Monday against Minnesota as he sat out with right hamstring tightness.

Kidd said it isn’t clear yet whether Hardaway will be available at Denver on Wednesday in the final game before a weeklong break for the All-Star Game.

“Day to day,” Kidd said. “He feels better, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow and hopefully he goes on the trip.”

The Mavericks remain without Davis Bertans (left calf) and Maxi Kleber (right hamstring).

Briefly: Longtime Mavericks fan Reid Malone’s proposed to girlfriend Ellyn Nicole Piatt at a previous Mavs game. On Monday, the couple, who are Chime members, were married by officiant and Mavericks television voice Mark Followill at halftime on the eve of Valentine’s Day. The Malones also were surprised with a special message on the video board from JaVale McGee, who delivered the news that Chime, was gifting the newlyweds $7,000 in their honeymoon fund . . . Cuban was asked before the game what reaction he’s getting about the trade for Irving, to which he said: “My son flew as an unaccompanied minor to go to Sacramento to watch Luka and Kyrie play together. That’s kind of an indication. Everybody’s loving it. It’s been great. Everybody’s excited. I’m excited, too. I’m at 11 baby.” He did preach a little patience, however. “It’s going to take time, but I have no doubt about it all. I’ve never seen players with high basketball IQ not be able to play together. Because they all know the game.” . . . The Mavericks will head to Denver on Tuesday for Wednesday’s finale before the All-Star break.

Twitter: @ESefko

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