Kyrie Irving injury: Mavericks star could be close to return after encouraging warmup video emerges 

Kyrie Irving has been out for five games due to a thumb injury sustained on Jan. 22 against the Boston Celtics. He sprained his right thumb after attempting to steal the ball from Jayson Tatum in the first quarter. After the game, the medical team made him wear a hand brace to support his thumb.

Fortunately, his X-ray results came back negative, which means the injury might not be too concerning. While the Mavericks are yet to make an announcement about his return to the hardwood, it appears that Irving could make a comeback soon.

During the pre-game warm-up ahead of the game between the Mavs and the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was spotted shooting out with the team. Here's the video:

Looking at the way he was shooting his free throws, it seems like a return against the Bucks on Saturday could be possible.

His return would be very timely, as the Mavericks hope to climb the ranks in the Western Conference. Dallas is seventh with a 26-21 record, only two games behind the fifth-placed Sacramento Kings, who are 27-18.

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Are Kyrie Irving's injuries becoming a hindrance to the Mavericks?

Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks

Kyrie Irving has been consistently unavailable for the Dallas Mavericks this season due to multiple injuries.

Throughout four months this season, Irving has only played 27 of 48 games. Given how the Mavericks have been without one of their best players, they have struggled to secure a better spot in the Western Conference.

Despite having one of the league's best players in Luka Doncic, the Slovenian can't carry the team on his own. To be fair, the only other player the Mavs can rely on aside from Donic and Irving is Tim Hardaway Jr., who's averaging 18.4 points and 3.8 rebounds.

The rest of the team isn't making much of an impact, with only Derrick Jones Jr. registering double-digit scoring figures, with an average of 10.1 points.

Considering that, it's essential that Irving is available soon for the Mavs. Following his last game against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 22, he's averaging 25.2 points, 5.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Meanwhile, Doncic is averaging 34.7 ppg, 9.6 apg, 8.6 rpg and 1.4 spg.

If the Dallas Mavericks wish to keep Kyrie Irving around, trading for better role players should be a priority before the NBA trade deadline.