All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving is on track to return to the court imminently, a shocking development after it was earlier believed that the Dallas Mavericks star would miss most of the 2025-26 season recovering from an ACL tear.
According to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears, Irving is working out with the intention to play this season, and could already be on the court if it were the playoffs.
“Kyrie’s looking good, he’s ahead of schedule,” Spears said on Monday’s episode of “NBA Today” on ESPN, while offering an update on Irving.
“He’s working out with the purpose of playing this season, which I’m sure Mavs fans are glad to hear. Optimistically, he could return by late January, or before the All-Star break. Someone close to him told me that, if it was the playoffs, he could play right now. That’s definitely ahead of schedule.”
Kyrie Irving’s Biggest Concern
Spears believes the only roadblock for Kyrie Irving is whether it’ll be worth returning to the court when the Mavericks (4-11) may be out of contention for the playoffs. With Anthony Davis (calf) and Dereck Lively II (knee) dealing with persistent injuries, the Mavericks could potentially be out of the postseason picture by January.
“The problem is, what’s their record going to be?” asked Spears.
“What’s their record going to be? Will Anthony Davis be back? I think by the time he’s potentially ready to return in January, there’s going to be a collective decision — from him, from the team and everybody close to him on whether it’s worth coming back.
“But from what I’m told, he wants to be back, and he’s ready.”
Jason Kidd Also Optimistic
In recent years, the likes of Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard sat out entire seasons recovering from an ACL injury. As such, Irving would be bucking a recent trend if he were to return midseason and help the Mavericks make a push for the playoffs.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is also hopeful about getting his point guard back soon. While addressing the media recently, the Hall of Famer said the injured Mavericks players are working around the clock to return to the court — sooner than later.
“No, everybody is doing their part to get back. Everybody wants to play,” he said.
“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.”
Kyrie Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.3 steals for the Mavericks last season before he suffered an ACL tear in March 2025. The injury meant that Mavericks fans never got to see Irving and Anthony Davis play together for an extended period after the team made the franchise-altering Luka Doncic trade.
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