The Cleveland Cavaliers got major news on Tuesday when ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that All-Star guard Darius Garland is set to return Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Garland has missed the first seven games due to his recovery from offseason toe surgery, but has been ramping up for the last month to rejoin the Cavs.
Garland enjoyed a resurgent year last season with Cleveland after an injury-filled 2024. He averaged about 21 points per game, and seven assists on 47 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.
He was the engine of the Cavs’ historic offense last year. His return could not come at a better time.
Cleveland’s offense has been ugly without Darius Garland
The Cavs have dealt with a rash of injuries to start the year. Garland, Max Strus, Jarrett Allen, De’Andre Hunter, and Sam Merrill have all missed multiple games. Even Donovan Mitchell sat out a game due to a hamstring injury.
Even then, no matter how you slice it, Cleveland’s offense has been uninspiring.
The Cavs are 26th in offensive rating (111.3), 25th in field-goal percentage (44.9), 27th in field-goals made per game (39.0), and 18th in assists per game (25.7). It is a far cry from last season, when they ranked first, second, fourth, and ninth in those categories respectively.
Garland’s return should help make Cleveland’s offense flow a lot better. His ability to create out of pick-and-roll sets, and off dribble drives will unlock the ball movement that the Cavs want out of their offense. His floor-spacing will open up the floor more for Mitchell, and lighten his ball-handling responsibilities.
Garland’s return also means more easy looks for Allen and Evan Mobley. Garland’s strength has been keeping the bigs involved offensively through lobs, and pocket passes in the pick-and-roll.
Getting those easy baskets for the bigs will allow them to get into rhythm easier and will take the clunk out of Cleveland’s offense. After all, with Garland on the court last season, the Cavs had a 124.2 offensive rating.
Garland’s return will get the Cavs back on track.
It has not been all bad for Cleveland to start the year, as they are 4-3, and this bit of adversity will benefit the team in the long run. It has also allowed head coach Kenny Atkinson to experiment with different lineups, and allow young players like Craig Porter Jr., Jaylon Tyson, and Tyrese Proctor to get extra opportunity, helping with their growth.
Getting Garland back will help the Cavs get out of their offensive funk. While he won’t have his full workload upon his return, any Garland minutes are needed for Cleveland to rediscover their offensive identity that they built last year.