After still rehabbing from his ACL injury from last season, many expected Kyrie Irving to make his return to the floor around this time. It looks like he is pumping the brakes on a return for this season and recently announced that he will sit out for the entire year.
Irving wrote a statement about the decision, according to Joey Mistretta of Clutch Points.
“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one. I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process,” Irving wrote. “I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grows.
“And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who’ve torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day. THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!”
Irving's agent, Shetellia Riley Irving, told ESPN that this will help the Mavericks' guard return at full strength next season.
“This is about Kyrie being 1000% when he comes back and giving himself the best chance to chase a championship next season,” Riley Irving said via Shams Charania.
With the Mavericks near the bottom of the Western Conference standings and having bought into building the team around Cooper Flagg, there wasn't much of a need for Irving to rush back. If they were fighting for a playoff spot, things would probably be different, and he'd have made a return around the time he was supposed to.
Sitting out for the entire season gives Irving more time to get back to the player that he was before the injury, which is one of the most dangerous scoring point guards. It will be interesting to see how he looks when he gets back on the floor next season.
