Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs in the aftermath of his left knee surgery, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Celtics and Irving are evaluating further potential medical options to treat his left knee.
The 6-foot-3 perennial All-Star underwent a procedure to remove a tension wire in his left knee on March 24. This wire had been placed into his knee during the procedure to repair a fractured patella — injury which he suffered during the 2015 NBA Finals.
The Celtics had been previously hoping for a return prior to the start of the second round of the playoffs, but the nature of his injury will require more time to heal. The Celtics had made Irving's health their No. 1 priority, and much like with Gordon Hayward, they will err in the side of caution with this nagging injury in hopes to keep it from being a future burden for the 26-year-old All-Star.
Boston is locked into the No. 2 seed in the East and has been led through this last stretch of the season by the young core of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Terry Rozier, with veterans like Marcus Morris and Al Horford taking a major step up on offense to make up for the loss of their leading scorer.
Marcus Smart is still pending a return, as one of the key cogs coming off the bench, but his imminent comeback won't have the same effect without the 24.4 points and 5.1 assists Irving brought to the lineup on a nightly basis.
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