Last season, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland played a relatively healthy regular season. That resulted in another All-Star nomination, a complete 180-degree turn after some serious doubts about his fit with Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs’ front office bet on a Garland turning it around, and that was the correct decision.
Then Garland did get hurt, inexplicably, in the Cavs’ first-round series against the Miami Heat. He never fully recovered, looked one or two steps slow when he did play
against the Indiana Pacers, and had to get a fairly serious surgery in the offseason. How serious you may ask? Garland likely won’t be fully ready for the regular season.
That muddies Garland’s outlook for the 2025-26 campaign somewhat, but it’s hard not to be intrigued by how well he played last year. In Kenny Atkinson’s high-powered offense, Garland got up another three-pointer per contest, dramatically improved his efficiency from deep (40.1% up from 37.1%), and reduced his turnovers per game. There is reason to believe that Garland can maintain that level of play with some upside for a little more. The goal should be to work that “little more” heading into the playoffs.
One of the key aspects of Garland’s improvement year-over-year was his confidence. Atkinson instilled some of that by forcing catch-and-shoot three attempts, but a healthy part of that was on Garland himself. Perhaps saying he could get a hit of Paul Skenes is a little ambitious, but it’s hard not to like the mental turnaround for Garland. Remember, it was less than two years ago that Garland looked like a shell of himself, unwilling to get to the rim, take that free-throw line floater, or even take relatively open threes.
The word (or lack thereof) on Garland’s toe injury is the one glaring issue that could not only stunt the beginning of his season, but linger beyond and throughout. When Garland initially injured his toe, the Cavs downplayed the severity of it. Majorly. A four-month recovery is not a ho-hum procedure, that is a significant injury. On May 1st, Atkinson called Garland’s toe ailment “day-to-day,” and he was “moving really well”.
Toe injuries can linger if they do not heal with the appropriate amount of time and recovery. Why would the Cavs rush back one of their three best players for the sake of winning some October games?
The Cavs are, by most measures, the best team in the Eastern Conference on paper. Most agree that the two most important players for them this upcoming season are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. While that is probably correct, the Cavs need Garland to play like he did last season for them to reach a championship level. The shooting gravity, playmaking, ball-handling, and rim pressure are all crucial to the Cavs’ offensive system. There is a reason that Atkinson made it a point to put Garland in better situations last season compared to prior seasons.
Now, after a very positive season, the Cavs need to carefully maneuver another issue with Garland. It’s slightly less perilous this time around, as there is some cushion to let Garland heal, but toe injuries are pesky. The Cavs’ championship aspirations don’t necessarily hinge on Garland, but it may as well given how good he can be.
