Mavericks Star Out for Season with Torn ACL
It was just reported by Shams Charania that Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving will be out for the rest of the season as the former NBA champion tore his ACL in his left knee. Since trading away Luka Dončić, the Mavs have slipped within the standings of the Western Conference. Dallas is currently 32-30 which placed them tenth in the West, holding the final Play-In Tournament spot by three and a half games over the Phoenix Suns. Now, can the Mavericks hold this positioning through the final month and a half left within the regular season?
Kyrie played in 50 out of 62 games for the Mavericks this season. For the fifth time in his career, he averaged at least 20 points, made 40 percent of his three-point attempts, and shot more than 90 percent from the free-throw line which is second most all-time in these statistics behind Stephen Curry. He averaged about 25 points, five rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block a game. Earlier on in the season on December 28th, Irving dropped a season-high of 46 points during a 126-122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The former NBA champion dropped 40 points or more during three games this season, most recently he had 42 points in a loss against the Golden State Warriors on February 12th.
With Anthony Davis being a liability, this Mavericks team does not have a real number-one scoring option anymore. They face some tough competition during their next three games as they’ll head to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks then travel back home to play the Memphis Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns. Dallas needs to hold for these final 19 games of the season if they want to compete in the Play-In Tournament and have a chance of being a playoff team after making the NBA Finals just a year ago. Although he’s heading into free agency, recovering from a torn ACL, Irving should certainly be a viable option for many playoff suitors.
