Cavaliers president gives update on Darius Garland's injury recovery

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland, who underwent surgery in June to address the toe injury that limited him in the postseason, has resumed some on-court basketball activities and will take part in training camp in a limited capacity, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“He looks good,” Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said on Tuesday morning, per Fedor. “He’s had a really good offseason from a strength standpoint.”

Still no timeline for Darius Garland's return

While Garland has progressed beyond the weight-room portion of his recovery process, there’s still no timeline for his return to action, according to Fedor, who has heard from sources that the 25-year-old may miss double-digit games to open the 2025-26 regular season.

The Cavs announced on June 9, following Garland’s procedure, that his status would be updated in approximately four or five months. It has been about three-and-a-half months since then, so the fact that Cleveland’s starting point guard is expected to miss some time at the start of the season comes as no surprise.

Garland had an excellent regular season in 2024-25, averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game. He posted a .472/.401/.878 shooting line and earned the second All-Star berth of his career. However, a turf toe injury forced him to the sidelines for the final two games of the Cavs’ first-round series vs. Miami and the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Indiana.

Donovan Mitchell will take on an expanded role

With Garland unavailable, Donovan Mitchell is expected to take on some additional ball-handling responsibilities this fall. Point guards Lonzo Ball and Craig Porter Jr. also figure to move up the depth chart until Garland is ready to return.

The Cavs will be without two of their starters on opening night, as small forward Max Strus will also be recovering from an injury. He underwent foot surgery in August and is expected to miss at least three or four months.