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Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. Shortly after the news reports broke, Los Angeles Lakers star, and Kyrie's former Mavs teammate, Luka Doncic took to social media to share a heartfelt message following Irving's injury.
“You will come back stronger mi hermano,” Doncic wrote on his Instagram Story.
Doncic and Irving first became teammates during the 2022-23 season when Dallas acquired Kyrie from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade. Although the Mavs failed to reach the playoffs that season, they bounced back in convincing fashion the following year.
Luka and Kyrie led Dallas all the way to the NBA Finals before they lost to the Boston Celtics in five games. Still, it was a memorable campaign for the Mavs. Doncic earned MVP consideration and finished third in voting, while Irving silenced his doubters.
The Mavericks entered the 2024-25 season with high expectations. Doncic, though, dealt with early season injury trouble. The Mavs later shocked the NBA world by trading him to the Lakers before the NBA trade deadline. The news shocked everyone in the sports world, even Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Doncic is averaging 22 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.8 steals in the eight games with LA. His performance has helped to give the Lakers a boost, as Los Angeles is now in second place in the Western Conference standings with a 38-21 record. The Mavs, however, are trending in a different direction.
Mavericks' 2024-25 season outlook following Kyrie Irving's injury
The Mavs are 32-30 overall. They are in 10th place in the Western Conference.
Questions are beginning to surface about whether or not Anthony Davis, who the Mavs acquired as part of the Doncic trade, will return this season following Irving's injury. Dallas will need to decide if they truly have an opportunity to make a deep postseason run. Accomplishing that feat without Irving will obviously be a challenge even if AD returns this season.
Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Caleb Martin, and Jaden Hardy are also battling injury trouble. It remains to be seen when they will return. With Kyrie Irving missing the rest of the 2024-25 campaign and the Mavs also battling a plethora of other injury concerns, competing for a championship will be a true challenge this year.
Anything is possible, but the Mavs will proceed with extra caution in reference to Davis' potential return.
Kyrie Irving's season
Kyrie Irving helped keep the Mavericks afloat amid the injury trouble. He ultimately averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.3 steals across 50 total games played. Irving also shot 47.3 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. He was rewarded with an All-Star selection as a result of his strong play.
Now, Irving will prepare to begin his recovery from the ACL injury. He will turn 33 years old in late March, so making the return is going to be difficult, but Irving is never one to back down from a challenge.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks will attempt to finish the season strong despite Kyrie Irving's injury absence.
