Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving unfortunately suffered a devastating injury earlier this month against the Sacramento Kings. He tore his ACL in the matchup and will now miss the remainder of the season.
In light of Irving’s injury, some people linked an increased workload to the torn ACL, but he took to Instagram on Saturday and appeared to refute that claim while implying that the injury was just a matter of him getting knocked off balance.
Even before fellow star Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season, Irving had been carrying an increased workload for a stretch because Doncic had been sidelined with the Mavs for some time. That workload only got bigger once Doncic was shipped away.
But correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation. Even though Irving was doing a lot of heavy lifting on the floor, the injury itself was just a “freak accident,” as Dallas head coach Jason Kidd called it.
Irving averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game this season while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. He appeared in 50 games.
This season has turned into a disaster for the Mavs, who are dealing with numerous injuries and outrage from fans following the Doncic trade. Any hope the team had of making a championship push this season likely ended when Irving tore his ACL.
The Mavs can try to run it back next season with Irving and newcomer Anthony Davis to maximize the window they’re operating with. But as it relates to the current campaign, Dallas is just 32-32, a mark that has the team in the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference.
Doncic, for his part, has helped the Lakers become bigger threats in the West. The team recently won eight straight games, though that streak ended on Saturday against the Boston Celtics in a game where Lakers star LeBron James got injured.
The early returns on the trade have been good for Los Angeles. Dallas, on the other hand, will have to hope that its luck turns around in the future.
