Mavericks' Kyrie Irving shuts down speculation on when he might return from injury

People want to say Kyrie Irving is ahead of schedule in his ACL recovery, but he's wary of over-promising.

Jan 1, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks will be starting the regular season in about two weeks, and they'll be without Kyrie Irving for the early portion of the season. He tore his ACL back in March, and while reports vary on whether or not he's ahead of schedule or not, Irving is making sure to bump the brakes on any of that talk.

Irving talked about his recovery on a recent Twitch stream, where he made it clear that he's not setting any expectation on when he could return to the floor.

“There’s no timetable for when I’m coming back, so please don’t ask me when I’m coming back," Irving said. "Please don’t badger me with all the questions like, ‘Hey, if you’re healthy by November, what do you think about it?’ Please don’t badger me with any questions, guys. I’m going to be ready when I’m ready. I’m taking the necessary steps to put my best foot forward, and I’m enjoying it.

“I appreciate you guys being there to support me during my kind of down times, when I was dealing with my ACL and dealing with not necessarily knowing, okay, whether or not I’m going to be back to where I was at. And of course, there was doubt. Naturally, I have doubt like everyone else. But I was fueled by the next generation even more—because I know when I’m able to show the resilience, the authenticity, the ugly times that go on with rehab or coming back from injury—I feel like that will, in turn, spark the next brain or inspire the next person. Or inspire some of my ACL twins out there—you know, that tore their ACL and dealt with all of the rigors of rehab. So shout out to all you guys.”

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Mavericks' Plan Without Kyrie Irving

The Dallas Mavericks will look a little funky without Irving on the floor, as he's far and away the best best offensive creator on the team. Without him, they don't have a reliable ball-handler capable of breakind down the defense.

They signed D'Angelo Russell to help with that, but he seems to be past his prime already, Dante Exum is serviceable, and Brandon Williams and Jaden Hardy are still unproven.

First overall pick Cooper Flagg will have the ball in his hands a lot early, and it's already been said that Anthony Davis will be used in a Domantas Sabonis-like role with dribble-handoffs in the high post, but this team will need Irving at some point to help reach its perceived ceiling.

READ MORE: Is Klay Thompson in danger of losing starting spot on Mavericks?

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