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Cavs’ Darius Garland on Return From Toe Surgery: ‘I’m Ramping Up Every Week’

Originally posted on Hoops Wire | By Sam Amico | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 1:45 PM ET

Darius Garland looked like a shell of himself at the worst possible time. That’s because a major injury to his biggest toe kept him from being at his best when it mattered most. That would be the NBA playoffs, specifically the second round.

Garland was brilliant during the regular season, when the Cavaliers cruised to a 64-18 record — the best in franchise history without LeBron James on the team. Then came the playoffs.

The toe injury forced him to miss the final two games against the Miami Heat and the first two against the Indiana Pacers. He returned for the final three vs. the Pacers, but clearly, Garland was compromised.

He told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that he didn’t want to have offseason surgery — but went ahead with it, anyway.

“I wasn’t myself,” Garland told Fedor on the decision to undergo surgery. “It was difficult. I was hoping to avoid it for the long run, but it got to the point where I had to get surgery. That’s just what it was. An easy decision that was going to get me back healthy.”

Garland was speaking from his celebrity softball game on Saturday. He was walking around gingerly, though he didn’t participate. He may or may not be ready for training camp. It seems he could miss time at the start of the season. It doesn’t appear to be anything major, but the Cavs have no plans to rush him back.

Last thing anyone wants is for this to linger.

“It’s basically like a brand new toe really,” Garland said. “I got my 10th toe back. I had no big toe at the end of last season. I had like nine toes. I felt like I was playing with nine toes. That’s how I would describe it.

“Any type of movement was tough. Putting on a shoe was tough. Walking. Running. It was difficult. I said it last year to you guys: Nobody really understands what any athlete goes through. At least, injury-wise.”

The Cavs lost Ty Jerome in free agency but traded for Lonzo Ball, formerly of the Chicago Bulls. Craig Porter Jr. is also back. Donovan Mitchell and Jaylon Tyson can also handle some point guard duties. But eventually, they will need Garland at 100 percent.

“I’m ramping up every week,” Garland said. “It’s getting better every day. Just taking my time with it. I’m not really putting a date on it right now. Trying to get back to 100 percent and be ready for June, when it really matters.”