The Cleveland Cavaliers are not the contenders they would like to consider themselves without a healthy Darius Garland. That is why it will be paramount to be patient with the All-Star guard's injury recovery heading into the 2025-26 NBA season.
The topic of Garland and his toe injury came up on a recent episode of Group Chat on The Ringer's NBA podcast network. Justin Verrier had concerns over how the ailment could dampen the Cavaliers' upcoming campaign.
Verrier said, "I'm just a little dubious at this point, especially considering Garland has the toe surgery, might not be back until November perhaps. Toes are tricky, and considering the depth they have on the team now, maybe they'll pace him back."
It is absolutely essential that the Cavaliers do just that. Garland will be a necessary component for Cleveland to take their regular-season success and pivot that into a deep run in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Injuries remain persistent threat to Cavaliers' title dreams
Garland delivered an update about his injury status at a recent appearance during his celebrity softball game. Depending on how one chooses to read into the quote, it was either exactly what you wanted to hear, or a concerning deflection of the subject.
For the Cavaliers, they will certainly hope it was the former. Garland's All-Star campaign in 2024-25 was a big reason why the team managed to have the 64-win season they did.
2025-26 will not be focused on the regular season, though. It will be solely fixated on the NBA Playoffs and what can be done by a team that is not expected to have that much competition in the Eastern Conference.
If the Cavaliers want to enjoy that deep playoff run they so desperately desire, they may have to trade a few regular-season wins in the process. That exchange is more than worthwhile.
The recovery from the toe injury could force Garland to miss a portion of training camp, and even be delayed in his start to 2025-26. If that is the case, and that's what the star point guard needs to properly recover, the Cavaliers should not be hesitant about letting him do just that.
Perhaps the injury will delay the process of the roster properly meshing in training camp, or at the start of the upcoming NBA year. In that instance, the Cavaliers will have more than enough time during the regular season to catch up to where they need to be.
Garland's health is not something the Cavaliers should gamble with. The situation here favors a cautious approach for the long-term success of the franchise.