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May 9, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) defends during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Cleveland Cavaliers get positive update on Darius Garland's injury and return timeline

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Robert Watson III | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 3:35 PM ET

The Cleveland Cavaliers are prepared to enter the season with a few of their key contributors sidelined for extended periods of time. Max Strus, who’s expected to be out until sometime in November or December with a Jones fracture in his left foot . Darius Garland, who underwent surgery on his left big toe in June, has gotten some clarity on his injury.

The timetable for Garland’s return was up in the air initially. When he first underwent surgery, the team announced that they expected him to make a full recovery and resume basketball activities by the start of training camp in October. However, conflicting reports stated that Garland was likely to miss time to start the regular season.

pic.twitter.com/0KWS8mVmju
— Follow @HoodiGarland (@HGVids) August 29, 2025

Videos have shown Garland working out and already making some progress with basketball movements and activities, showing that he’s making a solid recovery from his surgery.

Cleveland.com's Terry Pluto gave reason for optimism surrounding Garland's injury.

“Darius Garland is not expected to be out as long as Strus, but he’ll probably miss several weeks early in the season as he continues recovering from toe surgery," Pluto reported. "The Cavs are very pleased with his progress.”

“Darius Garland is not expected to be out as long as Strus, but he’ll probably miss several weeks early in the season as he continues recovering from toe surgery. The Cavs are very pleased with his progress.”

— Terry Pluto on https://t.co/HQZfXDFZ8v pic.twitter.com/jFn8ACyX7c
— ¹⁰ (@HoodiGarland) September 14, 2025

While it’s still unclear when exactly Garland will be back, this news shows that he is likely getting further along in his recovery and possibly more in the four-to-eight-week range, opposed to the three to four months that fellow guard Strus is expected to miss.

It will be huge for Garland and for the Cavaliers overall to have a starting-caliber guard back to getting reps and conditioning throughout the season with the rest of the team. Mainly for Garland to get to play, stay in shape, and keep that court feel for when the Cavs turn the page into the postseason, wherever they may be seeded this year. He will have plenty of time to shake off the rust and catch his groove.

Garland had a bit of a down year and especially a down playoff in 2023-2024 when he dealt with a fractured jaw, leading him to miss significant time and deal with some weight problems, losing 12 pounds. Seeing how this affected Garland's averages and percentages that season, with dips below his numbers from the past four years since his breakout in nearly every category, it should bring comfort to Cavs fans to know that he’ll get to work out any kinks in the regular season before the Cavs get to the games that really count.

It will be interesting to see how the Cavs' rotation shakes out in the meantime, missing both Garland and Strus, but rest assured, the two will continue working very hard on their rehab to provide support to their teammates as soon as possible.