Kyrie Irving is fresh to come back from knee soreness against the Minnesota Timberwolves — an injury that has plagued him for part of this season and one which he once used as a weapon to escape the grip of the Cleveland Cavaliers' front office.

The Boston Celtics star missed Monday's game against the Chicago Bulls to ease the pain on his knee, one which president Danny Ainge warns is one he'll have to deal for the remainder of his playing career.

“I think (this injury) is something he'll have to manage the rest of his career,” said Ainge in an interview with 985 The Sports Hub. “I don't think it's anything serious, but we want Kyrie healthy and fresh and he carries a heavy burden with the offensive load he carries.”

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The 6-foot-3 point guard needed a minor surgery on his knee as a follow-up to his broken kneecap injury that he suffered during the 2015 NBA Finals, and threatened the Cavs front office with getting surgery in it and sitting out the rest of the season if they didn't pull the trigger on the trade.

Irving did not have surgery following his trade to Boston, but has dealt with intermittent pain in his knee throughout the season, making games like Monday's against the Bulls sensible for a rest before taking on the Timberwolves and on the fourth-place Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

The Celtics will have to be awful careful managing his minutes and keeping him healthy, despite being within striking distance of the East-leading Toronto Raptors, sitting only 2.5 games behind them.