The Dallas Mavericks are hopeful that star guard Kyrie Irving will return from injury this season. Last year, he suffered a torn ACL during a regular-season game against the Sacramento Kings. It was a tough blow for the Mavericks, especially for the fans. The injury happened after the blockbuster trade that broke up the duo of Irving and Luka Doncic.
The Mavericks are 4-10 this season. On Sunday, the team snapped their three-game losing streak with a 138-133 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Aside from Irving, the team is also missing Anthony Davis, who is out with a left calf injury.
Due to the severity of the injury, it was expected that Irving would miss a significant time. On Monday, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears gave an encouraging update on the nine-time All-Star.
According to Spears, Kyrie Irving is “looking good” and is ahead of his rehab timeline. The league insider spoke about the veteran star on Monday’s episode of “NBA Today.”
“Kyrie’s looking good, he’s ahead of schedule,” Spears said. “He’s working out with the purpose of playing this season.”
“Someone close to him told me that if it were the playoffs, he could play right now. That’s [how] ahead of schedule he is.”
Irving could make his season debut late in the regular season. Spears said that the Mavericks could have him back in the lineup around late January or before the All-Star break. But he also said that the team’s record could affect the former Duke star’s return.
If the team remains competitive by the time Irving is ready to return, fans could see him back on the floor. Still, the Mavericks haven’t released a timetable for his potential season debut.
Kyrie Irving wants to play this season, according to Jason Kidd
The Mavericks have been one of the most talked-about teams this season. From Cooper Flagg’s debut to the recent firing of Nico Harrison, Dallas has been among the headlines. Aside from those topics, fans are also monitoring when Kyrie Irving will return.
Fans could see Irving play this season over the weekend, according to head coach Jason Kidd. Although Kidd didn’t give a timeline, he expressed the guard’s desire to play this season.
“No, everybody is doing their part to get back. Everybody wants to play. Everyone who is hurt, the progress is good reports. At some point, hopefully we’ll see Kai in a uniform. He wants to play. He’s working extremely hard mentally and physically to get back to help us,” the coach said.
With Irving back on the floor, it could give the team a breath of fresh air.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
