CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland has taken a noticeable step forward in his last two outings. He’s once again looking like a multi-time All-Star as he seems to be getting more comfortable playing through the toe injury that required surgery this past offseason.
The Cavs have been cautious with handling Garland’s injury since he returned to the lineup in November. He’s yet to play back-to-backs this season.
According to Garland, that’ll change with Tuesday’s game against the New
Orleans Pelicans. He told reporters that he was planning on playing both legs of the back-to-back on Monday evening.
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When asked about it earlier, head coach Kenny Atkinson wasn’t able to commit to whether Garland would be available on Tuesday.
“I hope so,” Atkinson said when asked about Garland’s status for Tuesday after the team’s win over the Charlotte Hornets. “I’ll just say this, I know there was discussion of him playing. I know he was pushing for it. So, I don’t want to confirm it yet, but I think there’s a real possibility that he plays, plus his minutes weren’t crazy tonight.”
Garland played well on Monday. He contributed 27 points and 10 assists in the victory.
While the Cavs could use Garland on Tuesday, they need to keep the bigger picture in mind. The offense is at its best when Garland is in there playing as close to 100% as possible. Anything that they can do now to ensure that he’s at that level in the playoffs is and should be the priority. Especially when he’s playing through pain like he is right now.
“I give the kid a ton of credit,” Atkinson said. “I think he’s playing through a lot. But [he’s] definitely getting better.”
The Cavs’ official injury report for their game against the Pelicans is expected to come out on Tuesday afternoon.
