The Cleveland Cavaliers have not had a clean bill of health since April 23, 2025 when Darius Garland exited the lineup with toe turf in the first round against the Miami Heat.
Garland's later surgery held the All-Star point guard on the sideline throughout the offseason and through the first six games of the regular season. Midway through the summer, Max Strus also required surgery after suffering a Jones fracture in his left foot. Beginning the season with two of last year's starters left the Cavaliers reaching into their reserves to compensate, but that strategy has already fallen apart.
With every starter absent, the rest of the players have had to take on more usage, heavier defensive focus and more playing time. The detriment of missing Garland and Strus is taking an early heavy toll on the Cavaliers. In the first six games of the season, last year's regular season Eastern Conference champions are sitting 3-3 after handing the Toronto Raptors their second win on the season in a 112-101 defeat inside Rocket Arena.
Against Toronto, the Cavaliers' injury report listed more than one third of the 14 active players as unavailable with injury. Sam Merrill missed his second consecutive game with a hip injury, and Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen were both listed as officially out shortly before tip off.
The trio of Evan Mobley, Jaylon Tyson and De'Andre Hunter put on a heroic effort to save the Cavs, but a lack of dribble penetration, missed shots and clear exhaustion by the end left Cleveland outmatched by their Canadian rival.
Getting healthy is already becoming a major problem for Cleveland
Last season, head coach Kenny Atkinson clearly prioritized keeping players healthy for the postseason. He was often patient in bringing players back into the lineup after an injury, and he showed that same mentality when the Cavs traded for Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls. Cleveland's focus is obvious: all that matters now is winning in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, this early injury snowball effect might be killing the Cavaliers' chances before they ever got started. Cleveland is far from the only team plagued by the injury bug. The Memphis Grizzlies have once again started the year undermanned, with Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke, Scotty Pippen, Jr. and former Cavalier Ty Jerome in street clothes. The Los Angeles Lakers are without LeBron James, and Luka Doncic already missed a bit of time.
Injuries are decimating the NBA, but the Cavaliers may not have time to recover as fast as their rivals. Garland is making steady progress in his return, but Strus is still out for months. Allen's finger fracture does not have a definite timeline for recovery, and Mitchell's hamstring injury is another example of his chronic lower body fragility in the last few years.
The Cavaliers have 76 games left in the regular season. Frustrations in the first six games is never enough to start panicking, but the Cavs have endured years of long-lasting, untimely injuries to key players, especially Garland. With role players like Lonzo needing additional off time to manage his injury history, every other absence only exasperates their problems.
Injuries are a part of the sport. There is no setting to turn off, but the Cleveland Cavaliers may need to find a creative solution before the injury bug ends their playoff chances before the postseason even arrives.