Kyrie Irving had high hopes for himself and his Dallas Mavericks last season, even with the explosive, jaw-dropping trade of Luka Doncic.
But things turned from bad to worse when the Mavericks needed Irving most, and he injured his knee.
Now he will likely miss all of 2025-26, which is a huge shame because Irving believes he was at the top of his game last year.
Speaking about his work last season, Irving was honest about how well he was doing.
“I felt like I was top 15 in the world and there was no doubt about it. I was showing up every night,” Irving said.
“I felt like I was top 15 in the world and there was no doubt about it. I was showing up every night.”
– Kyrie Irving on last season
(Via @MikeACurtis2 ) pic.twitter.com/iMyhgisml5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 29, 2025
Irving put up 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists from the floor in 2024-25, shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from beyond the three-point line.
When the season started, Irving was viewed as the team’s second option behind Doncic.
But when Doncic was shockingly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks basically became Irving’s team.
He was willing to step up and accept that responsibility.
He was playing incredibly well after Doncic’s departure, and it looked like the team might actually have a chance of surviving.
But then a series of injuries hit the team, and multiple players were out of commission.
Sadly, Irving’s injury was the worst, and now he is probably going to be sitting on the sidelines for of the new season, although some people think he could be back in or around January.
Irving was doing great work last year, but it may be some time before Dallas fans see him playing like this again.
He will be missed by the Mavericks, who will try to get by with Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, and others in 2025-26.
NEXT: Anthony Davis Reveals Permanent Change After Concerning Injury
