Kyrie Irving is set to make his return from a torn ACL this season for the Dallas Mavericks, and the next time he takes the court, it would have been nearly two years since he last played in an NBA game.
His return means that we get to celebrate one of the league’s greatest talents entering the twilight of his career. Irving is entering year 16 and the last time we saw him, he didn’t look close to being done.
It remains to be seen how quickly he can return to form, but if he can get back to the level he was at pre-injury, it means one thing for the Mavericks.
Irving’s return could make Dallas better than people think
The Western Conference is very crowded after the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, as there are a ton of teams vying for a top six spot or a play-in berth. However, with a healthy Irving, the Mavs will very much be in the mix.
Cooper Flagg was sensational as a rookie, winning Rookie of the Year, and he was one of the league’s best players over the second half of the season. He is primed for an All-Star level leap in his second season.
Dallas also drafted Morez Johnson Jr. in the draft, giving them a versatile big man that can play both the four and five positions and is a strong rebounder and defender. New head coach Dusty May loved lineups with a lot of size throughout his time at Michigan and now he has Flagg, Johnson Jr., Naji Marshall, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively at his disposal. The sheer size that the Mavs have in their frontcourt is going to be difficult for a lot of teams to deal with.
Irving is the key to unlocking this all, as Dallas needs his elite level scoring and shot creation to open up the floor for the bigs. His playstyle fits in perfectly for Flagg and the second-year forward will benefit from having someone like Irving next to him to make the game easier for him.
Even after trading away Luka Doncic, there is a lot to look forward to with this era of Mavs basketball. Irving is now more mature and in a different stage in his career, and his veteran leadership and scoring will greatly help this Dallas roster improve and develop for the future.
