Kyrie Irving was back on an NBA floor on Wednesday night, and the Houston Rockets made sure to treat him like the threat he has always been. Irving made his first appearance since tearing his left ACL on March 3, 2025, an injury that kept him out for 19 months and cost him the entire 2025-26 season. Houston won 128-110, but afterward Kevin Durant and coach Ime Udoka spent plenty of time talking about the player on the other side.
Durant: “He Hasn’t Lost a Step”
Durant knows Irving's game as well as anyone. The two were teammates in Brooklyn, and Durant came away impressed by how quickly his former running mate looked like himself.
“He looks like he hasn’t lost a step at all. A half of basketball is what he played tonight, and he had 15, four rebounds, two assists. It just got easier and easier as the game went on for him," said Durant.
That is a strong debut for a player coming off a major knee injury. Irving didn't need long to find his handle, his footwork or his scoring touch. As the game went on, he looked more and more comfortable.
“Once-in-a-Generation” Talent
Durant also made it clear he expects Irving's numbers to climb once Dallas loosens the restrictions on his playing time.
“He’s a once-in-a-generation type of player. I’m sure they’re cautious about his health, but once he gets more minutes, you’re going to see all his stats go up and their wins go up too.”
Easing Irving back slowly protects the knee, but a fully unleashed Irving changes Dallas’ ceiling.
Houston’s Game Plan Started With Irving
Irving had been out for roughly 600 days, but the Rockets didn't treat him like a player shaking off rust. Durant said Houston built its defensive plan around him.
“Kyrie, like I said, he’s been out 600 days, and our game plan was all him tonight. We talked about trapping him. With Cooper Flagg, we wanted to see how the game went. We didn’t want to trap him to start the game.”
That choice says a lot. Houston was willing to wait and see how Flagg played, but it went into the night ready to send extra attention at Irving from the start.
“Kyrie’s just that dangerous, so we’ve got to give him different looks. We’ve got to give all the best scorers in the league different looks, and I think we have a versatile team to do so.”
Udoka: Two Tough Point Guards Make It Work
Throwing double-teams at a ballhandler as skilled as Irving only works if the defenders know exactly where to be. Udoka credited Fred VanVleet and Marcus Smart for making that possible.
“Yeah, it’s a luxury to have two tough point guards. I always talk about Amen and Marcus guarding up with their size and strength, but Fred’s a pit bull down there as well and does his job," said Udoka.
Udoka said the bigger factor is what the two veterans see and understand, more than their toughness.
“It’s the IQ and the recognition. They’re so locked in and kind of on a string, playing with each other out there. That comes with experience and time, and just the knowledge of what we’re doing defensively, and those two are two of the best at it.”
Udoka has a long history with Smart. He coached him in Boston during the 2021-22 season, when Smart was named Defensive Player of the Year. Pairing Smart with VanVleet gives Houston two guards who can read a trap, rotate on time and cover for each other.
A Matchup Worth Watching
Houston got the win, but Irving's return was one of the big stories of the night. He looked sharp in limited minutes, and Houston's best player made a point of praising him. The Rockets showed how seriously they take him with a game plan built around stopping him.
If Durant is right, those numbers are only going to grow. The next time these teams meet, Irving will likely be playing more minutes, and Houston will need its guards to be just as sharp.
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