Sign up for Globe Sports e-mail alerts
The Celtics have consistently said that point guard Kyrie Irving would be cleared to play full five-on-five scrimmages in time for training camp, and now there is video evidence that shows he has reached that point.
Skills trainer Irv Roland posted a short Instagram video showing Irving, Warriors forward Kevin Durant, and Rockets guard James Harden scrimmaging with a group of Heat players at American Airlines Arena in Miami.
The one-minute clip showed Irving completing an acrobatic reverse layup after receiving a feed from Harden, taking a left-handed floater as he was fouled by former Celtic Kelly Olynyk, and showing off his trademark ball-handling skills as he carved through traffic for a basket.
Advertisement
Irving last played in an NBA game on March 11. He was then sidelined with left knee pain before having a tension wire removed that had been installed as part of a 2015 procedure to fix a broken kneecap. Then tests showed the presence of an infection on the wire, so Irving had a second surgery to remove two screws from the 2015 procedure, and he was sidelined for Boston’s entire postseason run.
Irving and forward Gordon Hayward, who was lost for the year after suffering a gruesome ankle injury in the season-opener, are both slated to be fully cleared when training camp begins on Sept. 25.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.