In a game charged with high stakes and legacy potential, two teams are looking to redefine their current progression stat on the court. Since Luka Doncic’s Christmas Day injury and eventual trade to the Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks’ standing in the NBA rankings took a big downward turn on the graphs chart. The team looks to rectify that by defeating the Sacramento Kings in the Play-In and securing a spot in the playoffs.

This riveting clash promises to be much more than what is offered in a regular-season contest. Unfortunately, the Mavs will have no Kyrie Irving to lead them through this ‘do-or-die’ situation. A shame, as the team could have really used his high scoring and playmaking skills at a time when the team’s winning chances were being ridiculed by Brian Windhorst and the crew over at ‘The Hoop Collective’ podcast.

Therefore, without any further ado, let us explore the reason behind the player’s absence.

What happened to Kyrie Irving?

The memory of the previous Dallas Mavericks-Sacramento Kings game would hold a significant place in the minds of Mavs fans. After all, it was the last game in which Kyrie Irving played before sustaining an injury that will most likely keep him out till December of this year!

An unfortunate incident unfolded in the first quarter of the Mavs’ 122-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings on March 3rd. Irving was fouled by DeMar DeRozan while he was driving to the hoop. The 33-year-old’s right foot landed on Jonas Valanciunas’s foot. As soon as the Mavericks’ star tried to balance himself, he ended up landing on his own left leg. Irving’s knee hyperextended before he fell to the floor, due to which he stayed there for several minutes, writhing in pain.

Soon, Anthony Davis and a training staff member helped the point guard to his feet. Kyrie Irving won over the attendees at the American Airlines Center by staying back to shoot his two free throws (successfully). In the end, however, he was forced to leave the floor after failing to put any weight on his left leg.

No sooner did Kyrie Irving exit than he was ruled out for the rest of the game with what was initially termed as a knee sprain. Later, however, it was reported that the veteran had torn his left ACL. The injury was serious enough to rule out Irving for the rest of the NBA season. Even before the seriousness of the ailment was highlighted, Irving had received well-wishes from his two former star teammates: LeBron James and Luka Doncic (ironically, they are the teammates now).

Almost immediately after Irving went down, the 40-year-old wrote on X, “Prayers sent up to Ky”, accompanied by a set of folded hands, and other emojis. Meanwhile, Doncic featured a post, highlighting his former teammate’s injury, on his Instagram story. He added teary eyes and folded hands emojis as a caption. Irving eventually had surgery to treat his torn ACL in late March.

Kyrie Irving’s season-ending injury was the final nail in the coffin. That is, it was for anyone who thought the Dallas Mavericks still had a chance of making a mark in the NBA tournament. The first nail was laid when Luka Doncic hurt his left calf during the 2024 Christmas Day game. Then, in early February, the Slovenian was shockingly traded to the Lakers for Anthony Davis.

Davis did not make the situation any better. He strained his left adductor in his Mavs debut and went on to miss 18 consecutive games. The team was left without any dependable lead scorer after Irving’s injury. After all, Klay Thompson himself had only averaged 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in his first regular season with the Mavs.

D Magazine perfectly highlighted the situation by stating, “The Mavericks Were Becoming Kyrie Irving’s Team. Now He’s Gone, Too”. Since he has not suit up since, the Mavericks closed out the season without Irving. In light of his ACL tear and ongoing recovery, the Mavericks have ruled out Kyrie Irving for Wednesday’s play-in matchup in Sacramento.

When will Kyrie Irving return from injury?

Kyrie Irving, without a doubt, is out for the remainder of the 2024-25 postseason. However, he is not set to be absent for the majority of the 2025-26 regular season run. For now. Anonymous sources have now revealed to ESPN’s Shams Charania that there is optimism the 2016 NBA champion can fully recover by January 2025.

ACL tears reportedly take 10-12 months to heal enough to allow a player to return to the court. Therefore, if the recent update is believed, then Irving may end up on the early end of that timeline. In the recent Hoop Collective podcast episode, Brian Windhorst certainly highlighted his surprise at the timeline. He stated, “If he’s playing by late December, I would like to congratulate him and the doctors”.

Kyrie Irving will, anyway, have to return to the court within the current speculated period. After all, as Shams Charania highlighted, “There’s optimism that he will be back by January, and he’s got a $44M player contract. That’s the next situation Nico Harrison and the Mavericks must deal with. The goal for the Mavericks is to rip up his player option and give him a three-year deal”. Having lost one key scorer, Nico Harrison cannot afford to lose another playmaker. Then again, it is Nico Harrison. He might perhaps trade off Kyrie Irving for Joel Embiid next season.

Nevertheless, no matter when Kyrie Irving will be returning, he certainly won’t be returning for the Mavericks-Kings play-in game. How the other players will fare without him is something that remains to be seen.