Kyrie Irving to sit out NBA season and Play-Offs

Kyrie Irving will sit out the remainder of the NBA season and the Play-Offs after being ruled out through injury. Along with the loss of the all-star guard, the chances of the Boston Celtics making a tilt at the NBA title have taken a significant dent.

The franchise announced Kyrie Irving has had another operation on his troublesome knee. More specifically, the player had to “remove two screws implanted in his patella from an injury suffered during the 2015 NBA Finals.”

Irving will get back to 100% fitness, but it will not happen for around four to five months. So, he will certainly be fresh for the 2018/2019 campaign, but is now shut out of this season. The 25-year old underwent surgery on March 24 in a bid to alleviate pain in his left knee. His recovery time was penciled for three to six weeks in what was a bid to keep his season alive heading into the Play-Offs.

As Boston suggested, the injury stems from a fractured kneecap Irving sustained during the NBA Finals in 2015, as he helped the Cleveland Cavaliers to the title. The knee flared in early March and it was decided a preventative surgery was needed to help him last the season. Boston Celtics knew a follow up procedure would be needed with a longer rest time, but the franchise hoped to delay it until the offseason.

The franchise says the injury should have no lasting effect on Irving’s career. So far this season, the guard has been a major component of a Celtics team that is mixing it as one of the best in the NBA. He has averaged 24.4 points and 5.1 assists per game and is playing at a 49.1 percent shooting, which is the best of his career.

Boston is currently second in the East but is also missing Gordon Hayward heading into the Play-Offs next week.