Kyrie Irving will return Sunday against the 76ers

Kyrie Irving will make his season debut on Sunday against the 76ers.

For the Cleveland Cavaliers, the season starts Sunday. For when the team squares off against the Philadelphia 76ers in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon it’ll have star point guard Kyrie Irving back in the fold.

Irving announced his return via Twitter on Saturday morning.

Irving has not played in an official game since fracturing his kneecap in Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, an injury that proved a death-knell for the shorthanded Cavaliers.

This season, in 24 games without Irving, the Cavs have carved out a 17-7 record, which places them in first place in the Eastern Conference – one game ahead of the Indiana Pacers. After a rough start to the month of December, the Cavs have now reeled off four consecutive wins, with the most recent snapping Oklahoma City’s six-game win streak.

The significance for Irving’s return plays across several levels. For one, he’ll take reps against what is the NBA equivalent of a JV squad. The Cavs are likely to pulverize Philly, meaning Irving’s comeback will look more like a hard scrimmage than an actual game.

Secondly, it’s now time for the team to, once again, gel. Sunday will mark the first time since Round 1 of the playoffs where Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love have all shared the court at the same time. After a trying season last year, things finally started slotting into place before Love was injured against the Celtics. It’s time for Cleveland’s Big Three to regain their fleeting chemistry.

After Sunday’s game against the 76ers, Cleveland will play the New York Knicks on December 23 before a headline NBA Finals rematch against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day.