The Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks are facing off Friday night, in what will be a battle for their playoff positioning in a winner-takes-all scenario, a

Typically, an ACL surgery requires eight-12 months of recovery, but the Mavericks are hoping that Irving will be back on the shorter end of his recovery. ESPN's Shams Charania reports Dallas has hopes that Irving will be able to return by January of 2026, which would allow him to potentially play in the majority of the 2025-26 season.

The Dallas Mavericks are reportedly optimistic that star point guard Kyrie Irving could return from his torn left ACL by January 2026 and play a significant portion of the 2025–26 season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.