When Darius Garland was sidelined during the offseason after toe surgery, there were two major points of concern. The louder conversation asked when the Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard would return. The quieter whispers wondered how long until Garland is fully up to speed.
Garland's history with injuries has always showcased that it takes some real time before the gifted offensive engine is really back to his old self. Even when available and in the lineup following an ailment, DG the PG is not always fully present from the get-go.
That has certainly been the case in the early parts of 2025-26. Garland made his return, suffered an injury setback, and just hasn't quite looked like his best self. Brian Windhorst and the crew of The Hoop Collective did not miss how burdened the point guard appeared to be against the Atlanta Hawks.
Windhorst said, "He was bothered really significantly by the Hawks length. ... Darius is a guy who plays at speed. In my view, amateur eye, he didn't have the quickness on his feet to explode. ... What I'm saying is he's playing, but I don't think he's right."
Darius Garland's recovery has shifted to the court — and it's still ugly
The ESPN analyst contrasted Garland's performance to that of Tyrese Maxey, another smaller guard who relies on explosiveness. Maxey is the stronger of the two, and that much was admitted, but the Philadelphia 76ers star still proved far more capable of getting around the impressive Hawks defense.
No one is expecting Garland to match the 44-point performance that Maxey put on against Atlanta to prove his health is where it needs to be. Even so, watching the Cavaliers guard would still leave many under the impression of his body not being completely up to par.
The good news is that even in the capacity that Garland is available, there are positives to be found. The All-Star point guard has posted an offensive rating of 118.1 in his limited sample size to start the year.
That is a good mark, but it is a drop-off from last season when Garland led the team with 123.2 in that category. To shift gears to more disappointment, the health issues have bled into capping his overall impact.
In 2024-25, the Cavaliers posted a net rating of 9.9 with Garland on the floor. Thus far in 2025-26, a brutal defensive rating of 120.6 has contributed to him being an overall negative on the court with a net rating of -2.4.
Again, small sample we're dealing with, and one where Garland the prevailing thought would be injuries being the problem. The latter is the point, though.
Garland is only averaging 14.7 points, shooting 37.5 percent from the field, and 6.9 assists per game. Everyone knows number 10 is a game-changer at his best. The Cavaliers are stuck waiting for the latter to arrive.