3 Cavaliers Who Must Step Up Amid Darius Garland Injury Update

Many of the same names will be returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers next season. Still, the lineup that Kenny Atkinson uses at the beginning of next season may look very different from a season ago.

One of the key reasons for that is Darius Garland’s offseason toe injury. Atkinson recently told Cleveland.com that he doesn’t think DG will be ready for training camp, which could delay his season debut.

If Garland isn’t ready to play during their first few weeks of the season, these are three Cavaliers that must step up.

Lonzo Ball 

Lonzo Ball hasn’t even played a game with the Cavaliers yet. However, he’s immediately going to be under pressure to make a significant impact for the team if Garland isn’t ready to play on opening night.

Ball doesn’t have the same scoring skillset as Garland does, but the guard can easily help replicate some of the playmaking that will be absent, along with DG. During Ball’s eight-year NBA career, he has averaged 5.8 assists per game.

If Garland isn’t ready for the start of the season, it’ll be interesting to see if Ball is the starting point guard or if he remains as part of the second unit. Either way, the Wine and Gold are going to be relying on him a lot during the beginning of the season.

Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell can’t do much more for the Cavaliers. He’s been their best player and has laid all on the line since the second he landed in Cleveland in 2022.

However, the area Mitchell must step in in the event of Garland’s absence is taking over the duties of the primary ball handler. This doesn’t mean Spida will be the starting point guard each night, but he will undoubtedly be tasked with initiating the offense more often than he has in the past. 

This role isn’t one that Mitchell is entirely unfamiliar with, but it’s one that he’ll likely see more of at the beginning of next season.