After a 12-game absence, Kyrie Irving, the guard for the Dallas Mavericks, made his return to the court against the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Irving had been out of action since December 8th due to a bruised right heel. During his absence, the Mavericks managed to win 6 out of the 12 games.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd stated that Irving would not have any minutes restrictions for the game. The team’s plan is to gradually reintegrate him into his regular routine, which will help alleviate the workload that Luka Doncic has been carrying in Irving’s absence. Doncic has been averaging 37.1 minutes per game this season, almost three minutes more than his career average.

Kidd mentioned that having Irving back on the court and having more players available will be beneficial for the team. They would like to reduce Doncic’s minutes, but Doncic himself has expressed that he is comfortable with his current workload. The team will work on finding the right balance.

So far this season, Irving has been averaging 23.0 points and 5.2 assists in 17 games. However, he has struggled with injuries, missing a total of 16 games due to various ailments. Before the bruised heel, he sat out three games in November with a sprained left foot and missed another game in early December due to right foot soreness.

Irving’s return at the beginning of 2024 has given Coach Kidd hope that the team is moving in the right direction regarding the health of their roster. He acknowledged that the team has faced challenges with injuries, but he is optimistic about the future and hopes that the team will continue to recover and improve their health.

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