Kyrie Irving’s injury return could be delayed
Kyrie Irving continues to thrive in his injury rehab for the Dallas Mavericks. However, his status to return to the court remains highly questionable.
Irving is approaching a full year since tearing his ACL last March, ending his time in the 2024-25 campaign. The Mavericks’ season came to an end in the playoffs, a significant drop from the NBA Finals appearance they enjoyed in 2024.
Irving has completed his 10th month of recovery, inching closer to a potential return to the hardwood. However, team insider Tim MacMahon poured cold water on a definite schedule is coming to fruition for the veteran star guard.
“The return date of Kyrie Irving, a teammate of the Mavs’ 2024-25 NBA Finals team, as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in early March, remains to be determined. He has yet to be cleared to practice, and while Irving has made it clear he hopes to play this season, sources predict it will be, given the discussion of the Mavs’ place there, a return until next season,” McMahon said.
What’s next for the Mavericks as Kyrie Irving recovers?
Kyrie Irving stands out as one of the best guards in the NBA when healthy. After a stellar playoff run alongside Luka Doncic as the Mavericks’ star duo, their time together came to an abrupt end when Dallas traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.
Irving and Davis played just one game together as the latter suffered a significant injury before the former tore his ACL. Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 50 appearances last season. In the meantime, Dallas will be hoping Irving makes a full recovery and makes a strong return to form at age 34.
Dallas has an 18-26 record on the season, holding onto 12th place in the Western Conference standings. They are three games ahead of the Utah Jazz and 6.5 games ahead of the Sacramento Kings, while trailing the Memphis Grizzlies by one game and the Los Angeles Clippers by 1.5 games.
Three of the Mavericks’ next four games will be at home as they prepare for their next matchup. They host the Golden State Warriors on January 22nd at 7:30pm ET.
2026-01-22 23:52:00
