Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Darius Garland underwent surgery on Monday to repair a big toe injury that left him either playing hurt or wearing street clothes during most of the Cavs’ recent playoff run, according to Cleveland.com writer Chris Fedor.
In addition to the concerning news about Garland’s surgery, Fedor indicates that the procedure will keep him sidelined for most of the offseason, which could impact his play next year due to conditioning issues that may arise from a missed offseason.
The Cavaliers issued a statement saying that Garland is expected to make a full recovery and should be able to resume basketball activities in some capacity before training camp begins in early October. However, Fedor reports that sources have informed him that Garland might miss some time at the beginning of the regular season.
After the team-wide injury issues that derailed Cleveland’s championship hopes less than a month ago, the prospect of these issues carrying over into next season raises real concerns.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) and guard Darius Garland (10) wait to enter the game in the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) and guard Darius Garland (10) wait to enter the game in the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© David Richard-Imagn Images
Sources informed Fedor that Garland was still experiencing pain and soreness in his big toe a month after Cleveland’s final playoff game against the Indiana Pacers in May. This led Garland and team officials to conclude surgery was the best option.
The belief in having Garland undergo surgery is that it will hopefully resolve the problem in one fell swoop, providing him with some much-needed relief and ideally preventing the issue from recurring next season.
Garland’s injury is reportedly similar to turf toe, which is a sprain or tear in the main joint of the big toe that connects it to the rest of the foot.
This injury first began bothering Garland in late March as the end of the regular season approached and Cleveland was ramping up for the playoffs. Garland missed two of the final three games of the regular season, reportedly to give the injury a chance to heal before the playoffs.
Unfortunately for Garland and the Cavs, he re-injured his toe in Game Two against the Miami Heat during the first round of the playoffs, which kept him off the court for the final two games against Miami and the first two games against the Pacers in the second round.
After making a surprising early return in Game 3 against Indiana, despite reports that Garland could miss the rest of the playoffs, he didn’t seem like himself, shooting 34.2% from the field and 16.7% from three over the last three games of Cleveland’s second-round series against Indiana.
This marks an incredibly disappointing end to Garland’s season, especially considering all he endured to return to form after a disastrous 2023 in which he broke his jaw. That injury and the subsequent surgery caused Garland to lose 12 pounds and have the worst season of his career.
Garland described the 2023 season as one of the most challenging periods of his life, so watching him reestablish himself and secure his second All-Star selection during a 64-win Cavs season—only to have it end in injury and an early playoff exit—is incredibly disappointing.
However, while the surgery is a setback, Garland’s track record suggests he won’t stay down for long. He’s already proven he can bounce back from serious injury and reclaim All-Star form. If the past is any indication, count on him to rise again.