Mavs' Kyrie Irving Speaks Out on 'Beautiful Struggle' Injury Return Timeline

Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving went down with torn ACL in March, which more or less ended the Mavs' hopes of contending at the end of a haunting season scarred by the mid-season trade of superstar Luka Doncic.

Irving's injury joined a handful of Mavericks players who were also banged up, including Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford among others.

The Mavericks' would ultimately fall in their play-in tournament contest, placing them in the NBA Draft lottery, to which a 1.8-percent stroke of luck fell Dallas' way and allowed the team to draft college phenom Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick.

Flagg's addition immediately brings Dallas back into the contention conversation in a loaded Western Conference, but only when Irving gets fully healthy.

In an online stream, the superstar ball-handler answered a question about whether he would be back for the playoffs, but Mavs fans won't be too excited about his response.

"Don't hold your breath on that," Irving said. "It doesn't mean that I won't be back ... I don't want to make any predictions on when I'm going to be back. I just want to be 150,000 percent better.

"So I'm taking my time to really get healthy ... and really just enjoy this recovery process, man. It's not pretty. Yes, it's a beautiful struggle, but I go through the mental rollercoaster ride every day, just want to be back out there."

Initial reports said Irving could be healthy by the turn of the new calendar year, but a quote like this suggests that he and the Mavericks will be taking a cautious, patient approach to his rehab.

At 33 years old, Irving's body will require a full-length effort to return to 100 percent. However, the Mavericks will benefit with a generational talent Flagg joining an otherwise healthy roster that can still win games with Kyrie on the sidelines. This boost in playmaking is a slight insurance barrier that shouldn't compromise Dallas' ability to score.

Knee injuries, at any age, typically take over a year before a return to peak explosiveness upon return. So for Irving and the Mavericks' sake, the 2026-27 season could shape up to be the campaign with the greatest title hopes, as long as no other injury worries set back that timeline.

Dallas got active just as this offseason's free agency period opened by signing former All-Star point guard D'Angelo Russell, who is expected to conduct the offense while Irving is injured.

The Mavs will obviously miss Kyrie's 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game totals from last season, but the organization knows that his complete recovery is most important in a championship pursuit ... whether that comes this upcoming season or pushes to the next.