Nico Harrison: Mavs 'Confident' Kyrie Irving Will Return 'Stronger' After ACL Injury

A roller coaster of a season for the Dallas Mavericks got worse Tuesday when they announced guard Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the campaign after suffering a torn ACL, but general manager Nico Harrison believes the best is yet to come for the nine-time All-Star.

ESPN's Shams Charania relayed a statement from Harrison that praised Irving's work ethic, compared him to Kobe Bryant and said, "All my thoughts and that of our staff are with Kyrie and his family, and we are confident that he will come back from this stronger than ever just like he always has."

Irving suffered the injury while driving to the basket during Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings. He remained in the game and shot the ensuing free throws but was then helped to the locker room.

That he stayed in to make the free throws makes Harrison's comparison to Bryant more notable, as the Los Angeles Lakers great famously hit two free throws after suffering a torn Achilles during his career.

The loss of Irving is yet another blow for a Mavericks team that now looks nothing like the version that made the NBA Finals last season.

Luka Dončić is now on the Lakers following a shocking trade, his former backcourt running mate is out for the season and Anthony Davis, who was the primary piece of the return package in the Dončić deal, is currently sidelined with his own injury.

What's more, Charania appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and said Davis might not play again the rest of this season after the Irving injury greatly impacted Dallas' chances to make a deep playoff run.

The Mavericks are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference standings, but it wouldn't be a surprise if they fall out of the play-in tournament entirely if Davis doesn't return. Missing him and Irving would leave them notably short-handed down the stretch.

As for Irving, he was having an excellent season as an All-Star who was averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from deep.

But Mavericks fans will have to wait until next season to cheer for him again, although Harrison still has high expectations for the guard moving forward.