Kyrie Irving
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In perhaps the most important stretch of the season, another superstar bites the dust. This time, it’s Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving

All-Star Kyrie Irving is now officially out for the remainder of the 2017-18 season, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Irving will undergo his second surgery in the past month on his injured left knee Saturday, with a timetable to return in four-to-five months. This time around, the surgery is aimed at removing two screws from his repaired left kneecap. On March 24, a tension wire was removed that was causing Irving discomfort. During that surgery, according to the Celtics, a bacterial infection was discovered at the location of the screws. The following surgery on Saturday is expected to make sure no infection remains in Irving’s repaired left knee.

While the injuries surrounding Irving this season have been nothing short of disappointing, the Celtics have continually assured the media that Irving’s knee is “structurally healed.” This was reaffirmed in Wojnarowski’s article, now claiming that the left patella “remains structurally sound.” It was also reported to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, per Wojnarowski, that Irving experienced “immediate relief” when the tension wire was removed. That is fantastic news; the injury has been giving Irving discomfort all season and in seasons prior to a lesser degree.

Irving, in his first season as a Boston Celtic, played as well as he ever has.

Although he only played in 60 games, he has averaged 24.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on a career-high effective field goal percentage of 56.8. During the first few months of the season, he was unstoppable in the clutch, which fans are no stranger to.

The good news for Kyrie and Boston is that he’s feeling better already, even in the face of a season-ending surgery. He is poised to return as strong as ever around training camp during the offseason.

The Celtics, even with Gordon Hayward‘s immediate absence from the full season, are second in the Eastern Conference. They could have gone pretty far this postseason, riding the tails of the second-ranked defense in the entire league. The Conference Finals were certainly in the picture, but without Kyrie Irving’s ability to drop 40 points out of nowhere, they will find every game and series to be a battle. This injury has derailed any small hopes of a Finals appearance this year. Hopefully, they’ll make up for it for many seasons to come.

Believe it or not, Kyrie is just 26 years old. He has many prosperous years ahead of him and the basketball world will eagerly await his return. Good luck, Kyrie!

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