Since Kyrie Irving arrived at the Dallas Mavericks back in February 2023, a lot has changed. However, issues with injuries have remained constant, and the latest involves his long rehabilitation from the ACL tear he suffered against the Sacramento Kings back in March.

That not only ended his season, but has also put his availability for the upcoming campaign in question. Irving was recently reported to be ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation, per DallasHoopsJournal. However, when asked about the 33-year-old’s recovery, head coach Jason Kidd stated something most would already know.

“I’m not a doctor,” he said, before claiming that Kyrie was not actually ahead of schedule, per ClutchPoints' Joey Mistretta. Kidd called out the “bad reporting,” claiming that he was not ahead of the expected timeline, instead stating that Irving was “probably on schedule” as far as his recovery was concerned.

Article Continues Below

Recently, excitement about him potentially returning ahead of schedule had peaked after Irving was seen moving around well in a video that was circulating on social media. The clip featured him playing and training one-on-one with youngsters as he even took up multiple shots.

It understandably led to people believing that he was indeed ahead of schedule and may play a considerable part in what is expected to be a major campaign for the Mavericks. However, that no longer seems to be the case, although the current timeline Kidd stated stipulates a return sometime around midseason.

Dallas is already dealing with question marks over the fitness of Anthony Davis, who underwent surgery in July after suffering a detached retina. That comes alongside Cooper Flagg hoping to integrate quickly on a team that was previously helmed by Luka Doncic.

While the Mavs undoubtedly look stacked on paper, injury concerns to major stars continue to be their biggest cause for worry ahead of the new season.