Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving has not made his season debut yet. He is still rehabbing from his torn ACL in March. While the Mavericks have not given an exact timeline for his return, he is not expected to be back in the lineup soon. ACL injuries often take a year or longer for players to recover from. As a result, it was not clear if Irving would be available this season for the Mavericks at all.
Despite that, the Mavericks have stayed optimistic about Irving’s recovery. He appears to be progressing well despite the severity of his injury.
At this stage of the season, the Mavericks will not try to rush Irving back. The team is 4-11 and does not look likely to go on a playoff run. There are even reports that the team is exploring the trade market for Anthony Davis and rebuilding around No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. However, there is still hope that Irving could return in the new year.
When Will Kyrie Irving Return?
There have not been many updates on Kyrie Irving early in the season. That is not surprising given the nature of Irving’s injury. However, head coach Jason Kidd has spoken optimistically about Kyrie Irving’s return. In an appearance on the DLLS Mavericks podcast, Kidd indicated that he thinks Irving could return in the new year.
“We know [Kyrie] won’t be back until January, February, March,” Kidd said. “I didn’t want to put a time limit on it, because I don’t want to be held to, ‘Well, you said January,’ so we got to give me some leeway there. But knowing [Kyrie], he’s going to try to come back soon… As you know, he documents everything, so just talking to him, his spirit, he’s in the right frame of mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s back early.”
Insider Marc Spears also indicated on Monday that Irving is ahead of schedule in his recovery.
“Kyrie’s looking good, he’s ahead of schedule. He’s working out with the purpose of playing this season,” Marc Spears said.
“Kyrie’s looking good, he’s ahead of schedule. He’s working out with the purpose of playing this season.” 👀@MarcJSpears on Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving returning from injury pic.twitter.com/SugdrXxZQy
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 17, 2025
Regardless, Irving will not return for a few months at the earliest.
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