Cavs’ Darius Garland takes ‘good step’ in return from toe surgery

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is inching closer to game action, taking what head coach Kenny Atkinson called “a good step” in his recovery from offseason toe surgery.

As reported by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Garland took part in a live 5-on-5 scrimmage Tuesday morning with some of Cleveland’s non-regulars — his first real taste of full contact since the injury.

“It was live. It was very short,” Atkinson said. “Now let’s see what tomorrow looks like. What does the recovery look like? We know this is not an easy injury to come back from. It’s just not. You see what happens in the NFL with this injury. It’s not linear, usually, the return to performance, and we’re hoping it will be and he’ll progress.

“But I side on the side of being conservative and making sure. This is a good step today. A small step but a good step.”

Garland first hurt his toe late last season, costing him four playoff games before offseason surgery on June 9.

The team projected a four-to-five-month recovery window, and while he participated only in light individual work during camp at IMG Academy, he’s recently started rejoining team activities.

There’s still no timetable for Garland’s season debut — Fedor notes he could miss the first 10–15 games — but the Cavs view Tuesday’s scrimmage and his pregame workout that night as strong progress.

Garland averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists last season while shooting 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.