It only took 5 seconds for Kyrie Irving to silence every Mavericks doubter

The Dallas Mavericks' 2024-25 season crumbled in early March when Kyrie Irving went down with an ACL tear in a game against the Sacramento Kings. This happened just over a month after Dallas traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Mavs fans had to accept the fact that the team would not be competing for a title that season without Irving.

After the injury, there was reported optimism that Irving could return by January, but no one truly knew when he was going to come back since the injury had happened so recently. Irving himself even made it clear not to put a timeline on his injury, as he will only return once he is 100 percent healthy, but a recent update of Irving shooting at the NBPA facility in New York just made it clear that he seems way ahead of schedule in terms of recovery.

A five-second video posted to @countonvic's Instagram story revealed just how far Irving has come in his recovery process, as he was drilling jumper after jumper from behind the arc on the right wing. His elevation looked great, and even though he was standing in one spot, it looked like he was going full speed and had no limitations when it came to shooting the ball.

Kyrie Irving's ACL recovery is looking golden thanks to viral clip

The Mavericks have been under fire for the last few months, as fans and media alike are doubting them ahead of next season, but Irving getting healthy in a timely manner could change everything. His health has quietly become a major X-factor for the 2025-26 season, and him making this much progress before September even hits is a pleasant surprise. It's not normal for a player to look this healthy just over five months after ACL surgery, and all eyes will be on his recovery moving forward.

Even Mavericks fans feared that the team would need to take a gap year next season due to Irving's injury, but he may have silenced that narrative once and for all. Mavericks fans should feel a renewed sense of faith and excitement toward next season, especially with Cooper Flagg coming to town, and Irving making a timely return could be the cherry on top of what has the chance to be a great season.

All of this is great news for Mavericks fans, as all of the buzz about Irving returning early could actually come true. Nico Harrison made it clear that Irving was ahead of the curve in terms of his recovery during a media appearance at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and he could be making his return to the floor before anyone knows it.

This isn't to say that Irving will return at some point in the next few months, but a pre-All-Star break return is seeming much more plausible considering how well his recovery is going at this point. Irving wants to be back on the court as badly as anyone, and it's been known for some time that he was attacking his recovery and taking every necessary step to try to come back as strong as possible.

If Irving is able to return before the All-Star break, this should give him plenty of time to get into the swing of things, and he could find himself back to his normal self by the time that the playoffs roll around. Dallas would have a great shot at making some noise in the playoffs if Irving could return to his peak form while also not having a minutes restriction by the time that the playoffs roll around, and Mavs fans would be thrilled by this.

Irving quietly became the spokesman of the team after the Doncic trade, and he often answered tough question after tough question about what had transpired. Mavericks fans clung to Irving following the trade, and this new update showed that fans could be clinging to him again much sooner than expected during the 2025-26 season.