Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving reportedly broke his left hand during an offseason workout and has already undergone surgery to repair the injury.
The Mavericks made the announcement that Irving underwent surgery on Tuesday, according to Shams Charania.
There had been no news regarding this injury prior to this announcement, and the Mavericks did not specify the severity of the break or the type of fracture that was sustained.
Although the Mavericks did not give an official timeline for the guard’s return to the court, sources within the franchise are reportedly optimistic that he will be available when the team returns for training camp in just over two months, according to Tim MacMahon.
Irving posted on X to thank all those who have wished him a quick recovery, writing that he is “in love with getting better at my craft” and “must rest and recover” to prepare for next season.
“GOD truly knew that I needed to take a break from Basketball after the long season and give myself some time to heal,” he added.
While the good news is that the injury was not to his shooting hand, there is still reason to be concerned, as Irving makes frequent use of his left hand during games, too.
The 32-year-old is one of the best finishers and ball handlers in the history of the NBA. He is known for being able to handle and score with both hands.
Irving is coming off a very solid first full-season season with the Mavericks in which he averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.
The most impressive part of Irving’s season came from his efficiency. He nearly joined the 50-40-90 club for the second time in his career, shooting 49.7% from the field, 41.1% from behind the three-point line, and 90.5% from the free-throw line.
This impressive play continued during a playoff run in which he and guard Luka Doncic helped the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals for the first time since Dirk Nowitzki led the franchise to a championship in 2011.
During this 22-game postseason run, Irving put together averages of 22.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 46.7% from the field and playing noticeably better defense than during the regular season.
The Mavericks eventually lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals in five games but the team entered the offseason with an aggressive mindset as it looked to once again improve the roster.
Dallas managed to trade guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and multiple second-round picks for guard Quentin Grimes while also signing forwards Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall during the free agency period.