Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, who had surgery in June to repair a toe injury that hampered him during the playoffs, is making progress in his recovery.
According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Garland has moved past the weight-room portion of his rehab and has already returned to some on-court basketball work.
While he’ll be a limited participant in training camp, there’s still no set timeline for his return to full action.
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman sounded encouraged about Garland’s progress when speaking Tuesday morning.
“He looks good,” Altman said, per Fedor. “He’s had a really good offseason from a strength standpoint.”
Despite that progress, sources have told Fedor that the 25-year-old may still miss double-digit games to start the 2025/26 regular season.
The Cavs had initially announced on June 9 that Garland’s status would be reevaluated in four to five months, and with only three-and-a-half months passed, it’s not surprising that the All-Star guard isn’t expected to be fully ready by opening night.
Garland is coming off an outstanding 2024/25 campaign, averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per contest while shooting .472 from the field, .401 from three, and .878 from the free throw line.
He earned his second career All-Star nod but was sidelined in the postseason by turf toe, missing the last two games of Cleveland’s first-round series against Miami and the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Indiana.
Until Garland is back, Donovan Mitchell will shoulder a heavier playmaking load, with Lonzo Ball and Craig Porter Jr. expected to climb the depth chart for early-season minutes.
The Cavaliers will also be shorthanded elsewhere, as starting forward Max Strus underwent foot surgery in August and is projected to miss three to four months.
Darius Garland will participate in training camp on a limited basis: https://t.co/QsFAzSu9Ua
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) September 23, 2025
