Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland was sidelined for multiple playoff games and missed the start of this season due to an injury to his left great toe. He had surgery on his toe this summer.
Garland made his season debut last week in the Cavs’ win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He played two more games before re-aggravating his toe in Monday’s loss to the Miami Heat. Garland injured his toe again in the second quarter after making contact with Miami forward Nikola Jovic. He started the second half before being pulled midway through the third quarter.
The statement reads: “Cavaliers guard Darius Garland injured his left great toe during Monday night’s game at Miami. Further evaluation postgame and Tuesday by the Cavaliers medical team revealed a contusion. … Garland will receive daily treatment and continue with the established post-surgery management plan. He is listed as OUT for tonight’s game in Miami and his return to play availability will be updated as appropriate.
This seems like good news for the Cavs. I’m not a medical expert, but it seems like Garland has avoided a serious setback with his injury.
Garland has stated that the hardest part of dealing with his injury was simply not being able to play basketball. He’s someone who consistently wants to be on the court and, by all accounts, will do anything in his power to make sure he’s back on the court as soon as possible.
The Cavaliers will likely be cautious with Garland’s return. They’ve approached this regular season much differently than they did last year. They aren’t chasing regular-season wins and instead seem much more focused on making sure they’re healthy for the playoffs. As we saw last postseason, this team will not go far if its top three players aren’t fully healthy and playing at a high level.
The Cavs are about to enter a six-game homestand starting on Thursday when they host the Toronto Raptors. We’ll see whether Garland can make a return during that time.