Dallas Mavericks Coach Dusty May in Disbelief Over Kyrie Irving

The NBA world is ready to see Kyrie Irving back in action after he missed the entire 2025-26 season while recovering from a torn ACL.

Despite an offseason full of trade rumors, the Dallas Mavericks have been steadfast and clear about their desire to keep Irving, as they view him as the perfect co-star and mentor for Cooper Flagg, even if they're 15 years apart in age.

No one seems more ecstatic to have Kyrie Irving than the new Mavericks coach, Dusty May. Every time he has gotten the chance to speak about the 9-time All-Star, it has been a gushing review, and that was no different than when May appeared on 105.3 The Fan on Thursday.

"I've been a part of a couple workouts with Kyrie, I've watched him work out on his own, I've watched him play pick-up, and I've gotten feedback from others that have watched him play recently. I couldn't be more excited to be on his team. I've been blown away... how talented Kyrie is with the ball in his hands, when the ball's not in his hands," May started saying.

"But to see his level of preparation, attention to detail, and IQ, it's something that I've never seen at the level that he works at. I can't wait for him to share that with the rest of our group, especially the young core that we have."

Mavericks HC Dusty May speaks on Kyrie:

"I couldn't be more excited to be on his team... I've been blown away… His level of preparation, attention to detail, and IQ it’s something that I’ve never seen at the level he works at”

(via @1053thefan) pic.twitter.com/Utqd6gVCz0
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenter) September 3, 2026

This is going to be an interesting season for Kyrie Irving. Is he going to have any rust after not playing for 18 months? Is he going to be the same player as he was before the injury? Is the team going to be good enough for him to want to stick around?

We'll find those out in the coming months, but in the meantime, we'll be blessed to watch Irving and Flagg lead this team.

Jan 6, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving stands on the court during a timeout against the Sacramento Kings in the second quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dusty May's Confidence in Kyrie Irving

Everyone knows how special a player Kyrie Irving is when healthy, but Dusty May has continued to go out of his way to give Irving a lot of praise ever since taking the job.

May knows how important Irving is to this team, but he also knows that Irving was close with former coach Jason Kidd.

A lot of changes this offseason have gone against what Irving may have wanted, between letting go of Jason Kidd, player development coach Phil Handy going to the Philadelphia 76ers, and veterans like Klay Thompson and Dwight Powell left.

Irving is happy in Dallas, but he may want to win, and the Mavericks haven't been close to winning since he tore his ACL.

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