Sunday will be Irving’s first game since he tore his left ACL against the Sacramento Kings on March 3, 2025. On Friday, he is sitting out the preseason opener, listed for left knee rest.
May had said a day earlier that Irving would play in only one of the two games in Macao but had not decided which. He announced the plan before Friday’s tip-off, opening his pregame availability with the list of players who would not play.
Kyrie Irving’s Road Back From A Torn ACL
Irving had surgery on the knee on March 26, 2025. Before the injury, he was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 2024-25 while shooting 40.1% from 3-point range and 91.6% from the free-throw line. Dallas re-signed him that July. In February, Irving was ruled out for all of 2025-26 to give the knee more time to heal.
The first overall pick in 2011 is a nine-time All-Star and won an NBA championship in 2016. He helped Dallas reach the NBA Finals in 2024.
Irving has spent camp sharing what he knows with a young roster, and May has watched the gravity he creates for teammates show up in practice.
“He’s been unbelievable in practice as far as leadership and mentoring the younger players. He’s a wealth of knowledge, and so we’re encouraging him to share as much of that with everyone as possible,” May said. “Just excited to see him back on the court again.”
“There have been several times in practice when you’re watching him play and you realize how much gravity and leverage he provides for the other guys,” May continued. “And so I think that’s one area where we can make a big improvement offensively, simply having a floor general like him on the court with a young group. I think it will open up a number of things.”
Dusty May On What Kyrie Irving Brings Offensively
Without Irving last season, Dallas went 26-56 and made 11.0 3-pointers per game, which ranked 29th in the league. Kevin Durant, Irving’s former teammate in Brooklyn, is on the Houston side this weekend in his second season with the Rockets. May grouped the two together when he talked about Irving’s efficiency.
“He’s always been a very efficient offensive player,” May explained. “I think the two most recent 180 guys, which is 50-40-90 shooting, shooting really well from two-point percentage, three-point percentage, and the free-throw line, are going to be playing tonight in KD and Kyrie. So, I’m sorry, on this trip, but KD and Kyrie.”
“But that’s what he is: he’s an efficient offensive player, and I think the attention that he garners allows everyone else to have a little bit more space and a little bit more creativity to play because of the attention that’s on him,” May added. “And so we’re excited to see how he fits with this group. And like I said, he’s been an unbelievable leader, and we’re all very well aware of how talented he is as a basketball player.”
Sunday’s game tips off at 5 a.m. CT on NBA TV. Dallas opens the regular season Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. CT in Houston.
