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Mavs Coach Dusty May 'Blown Away' By Kyrie Irving Injury Rehab
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- Mavs Coach Dusty May 'Blown Away' By Kyrie Irving Injury Rehab
New Dallas Mavericks head coach Dusty May is spending his time familiarizing himself with the new and returning faces on his roster as he enters his first NBA job.
But regardless of his resume, he doesn't need to do much research about who Kyrie Irving is.
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The nine-time All-Star is one of the sport's magicians with the ball in his hands, and his leadership is a core pillar of the Mavs' new identity as new leadership and young players resemble a turning of the era.
While 34 years of age, Irving is still expected to return from injury in top form, according to May's assessment of the point guard.
"I've been a part of a couple workouts with Kyrie," May said on 105.3 The Fan - the new radio home of the Mavericks. "I've watched him work out on his own and I've watched him play pickup, and then I've gotten feedback from others that have watched him play recently, and I couldn't be more excited to be on his team. I've been blown away."
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Irving tore his ACL on March 3, 2025, just over a month after the team traded All-NBA running mate Luka Doncic.
Many months later, Irving is the veteran of a team now led by another player with All-NBA potential, reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg.
Health will arguably the Mavs' biggest benefactor this season as Flagg experiences what it's like to truly lead a team through an 82-game gauntlet.
Irving is being intentional with his recovery, which aligns with why he was held out of an early return at the end of Dallas' lottery-bound season in 2025-26.
"We all know how talented Kyrie is with the ball in his hands," May said. "But to see his level of preparation, attention to detail, and IQ, it's something that I've never seen at the level that he works at. And I can't wait for him to share that with the rest of our group, especially the young core that we have."
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Behind Irving in the backcourt, the Mavs have a pair of young newcomers: combo guard Marcus Sasser and rookie floor general Sergio De Larrea. It's slim in the point guard department, but May believes' the Mavs' crop of forwards will create a lot of opportunities.
"It's such a beautiful game because there's one basketball and there's five players and you can only have the ball in your hands an exponential amount of time," May said.
"And so what can you do to make the other players better when it's not in your hand? How much attention do you garner from the opposition? But the thing with Kyrie, he has a solution for everything."
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Irving, who has carried his leadership into the offseason as well, will have an early media day before Mavs training camp begins on Sep. 29.
"For someone to still be able to impact the day-to-day like he does and then also to have the leadership role that he's going to have, it's going to prove to be invaluable," May said.
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