The Boston Celtics haven’t had Kyrie Irving for the last five games, as the All-Star point guard has been dealing with a sore left knee that hasn’t gotten better despite rest. To try and remedy the situation, Irving underwent what the team described as a “minimally invasive procedure” on his knee on Saturday.
It was a massive announcement, as there was no news on how much time Irving would have to miss and fans will usually assume the worst when a player has to get surgery on their knee. The procedure took place, and while he will need to miss some time, the good news is that Irving is expected to make it back sometime this season.
The Celtics announced that Irving underwent a minimally-invasive surgery that will keep him out 3-6 weeks. As the team wrote in a statement, the procedure removed a tension wire that “was originally placed as part of the surgical repair of a fractured patella sustained during the 2015 NBA Finals.”
Additionally, the team provided some welcomed news on the state of Irving’s knee going forward.
“While removal of the wire should relieve irritation it was causing in Irving’s patellar tendon, the fractured patella has fully healed and Irving’s knee has been found to be completely structurally sound,” the statement read.
The bottom end of this timetable means Irving would be back around April 14, which is the day the 2018 postseason begins. As Tas Melas of The Starters pointed out, missing all six weeks could potentially be scary news for Boston.
From the beginning of the playoffs to ~3 games in to Round 2. It helps the Celtics the playoffs are long. https://t.co/dfGwXoTqim
— Tas Melas (@TasMelas) March 24, 2018
Boston has already locked up a spot in the playoffs and currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference. The team is 4.5 games behind the first-place Toronto Raptors and six games up on the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers. If the season were to end today, Boston would face the Miami Heat in the first round of the postseason.
