Well, it appears the Cavaliers’ starting lineup is again complete.
As suggested by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com and confirmed by Hoops Wire on Monday, point guard Darius Garland is targeting to return from a broken jaw for Wednesday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons.
The Cavs (28-16) have won 10 of 11, capped by Monday’s victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers. In that game, Donovan Mitchell not only scored 28 points, but passed for 12 assists while committing just two turnovers.
While he will return to his normal shooting/scoring guard position, there’s a sense he could still share point guard duties with Garland. Either can set up the offense and facilitate.
Garland has been out for four weeks and he’ll be coming back just one game after power forward Evan Mobley returned from arthroscopic knee surgery. Mobly hadn’t played since Dec. 6, before finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes vs. the Clippers.
Shams Charania of The Athletic spoke of Garland’s return during his usual spot on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back.
“[Darius Garland] had his mouth wired shut for four weeks,” Charania said. “He’s been rehabbing, he’s been recovering, getting his weight back, he just got his screws out this week and he’s planning to make his return on Wednesday.”
This, of course, leads to coach J.B. Bickerstaff‘s need to get creative with the rotation and backcourt minutes. During Garland’s absence, shooting guard Sam Merrill became an invaluable floor-spacer, burying 3-pointers and keeping opposing defenses honest. That has helped create opportunities for Mitchell to drive, as well as space near the basket for Jarrett Allen, and even given wide-open perimeter looks for the likes of Max Strus.
Basically, with as much as Merrill has contributed to the cause, we can expect to still see him on the court — at least in some fashion.
Garland, 24, is capable of playing either guard position offensively, so none of this should be an issue. He is likely to be on a minutes restriction at first, giving Bickerstaff time to figure out the rotation and overall minutes.
Garland has appeared in 20 games this season, averaging 20.7 points, 5.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds, shooting 47 percent from the field, 35 percent on threes and 84 percent on free throws. He is also collecting a career-high 1.6 steals.
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