Cavaliers star played through excruciating injury vs. Celtics

The 23-year-old's injury comes as the Cavs are already dealing with a bevy of other health concerns, most notably in the case of star power forward Evan Mobley. The big man hasn't played since Dec. 6 due to a knee injury and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the crushing news for Cleveland that Mobley will continue to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Depending on how much time Garland misses, the Cavaliers' chances at making the playoffs for the second straight season could be very much in jeopardy.

Cleveland is 13-12, in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and would qualify for the Play-In Tournament as things currently stand. They've lost three in a row though and without their two young stars, they may continue fading.

Garland and Mobley (who the team drafted fifth overall in 2019 and third in 2021 respectively) are two of the team's best players. With seven seasons under his belt, four-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell is considered the biggest star on the Cavs, but Garland and Mobley are just as crucial to the group's success.

The former Vanderbilt guard and USC forward are second and third on the team in scoring -- trailing only Mitchell -- at 20.7 and 16.0 points per game, respectively. Mobley is averaging a team-best (and career-high) 10.5 rebounds and leads the squad in blocks per game (tied for career-high 1.7) as well. He's also improved his field goal percentage (.573) and free throw shooting (.769), both of which are the best of his career.

Garland is shooting a career-best 47.0% from the field and is averaging a career-high 1.6 steals, while leading the group in assists per contest (5.9).

If the Cavs want to stay in the playoff picture, they'll need the likes of Mitchell and starting center Jarrett Allen to carry the load in their teammates' absences.