The road to recovery is long for Kyrie Irving, but his return may not be as far out as we thought. In an update on a recent stream on Twitch, the Dallas Mavericks star gave some good news on his injury rehab and hinted that he may be way ahead of schedule.
“I was in the gym, doing a little bit more,” Irving said. “I won’t tell you exactly what I was doing because it’s all about incremental growth, but I can share with y’all that it was some good days in the gym. I’m healing up great. This date will be five months post-surgery.”
Kyrie is a legendary point guard and 14-year veteran with career averages of 23.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on 47.4% shooting. With stints on the Cavaliers, Nets, and Mavericks, he’s found success with several teams to help establish his legacy as a champion, 9x All-Star, 3x All-NBA player, and 2012 Rookie of the Year.
Irving suffered a torn ACL in early May, ruling him out for the playoffs and most of the 2025-26 season. While the recovery time for an ACL tear can vary, the process typically takes nine to 12 months and involves both surgery and intense physical therapy. The rehab work can be grueling for some players, but Irving (like his former teammate Kevin Durant) is doing everything he can to help speed up the ordeal.
As it stands, the timetable would put Irving’s return in late spring, right before the start of the playoffs. That’s good news for the Mavericks, but not ideal since it would give the point guard limited time to shake off the rust. But if the former NBA champion is ahead of schedule, it could drastically boost the Mavericks’ chances and might set them up for a redemption arc.
When Irving initially went down, it was a major gut-punch to the Mavericks, who were fresh off the Luka Doncic trade that garnered unprecedented criticism. With fans raging and analysts blasting the move, the Mavericks are facing more pressure than ever to justify their decisions over the past year, and failure now will only add to the growing resentment toward their roster changes.
In the 2025 postseason, the Mavericks managed to make the play-in, but they were no match for the Memphis Grizzlies without their star point guard. Now, the plan for Mavs GM Nico Harrison is to just run it back with the same squad and hope that Irving can come back later in 2026. Fortunately, with the addition of Cooper Flagg in the draft, their ceiling might be higher than it was last season.
Plus, with a fully healthy Anthony Davis, the Mavericks have a powerful defensive presence who can hold down the paint and add some balance to their elite arsenal of scorers. While nobody is quite sure what to expect from the new-look Mavs, they have enough talent to make some noise in the West. Irving’s return could be the final piece that elevates them back into true contender status.
