While Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson may have not had the best outlook on De'Andre Hunter's injury status for the team's season opener, he did have quite the positive update on Darius Garland's progression.
“Really good,” Atkinson said Monday of how Garland is looking physically. “He did most of practice today and we were live, so we'll see how he responds tomorrow. I don't know what that means big picture-wise, but good sign for us.”
Asked if he'd consider Garland to be ahead of schedule, Atkinson gave in and said yes. However, that doesn't mean a comeback to the floor is imminent.
“I'd have to check with [Cavs head trainer] Steve [Spiro] and see what they think, but I'm a little surprised he's at this point,” Atkinson said. “I know me and him are constantly fighting, like, let's make sure this build-up is correct. Let's make sure we're progressing because I want DG healthy long term for the season, for the playoffs. Really kind of having conversations with him, making sure the build up is right. We're erring on the side of long term thinking.”
For Atkinson, there is a distinct difference between being able to play and being able to perform, which explains the cautious approach. Cleveland has different thresholds and markers to analyze before approving returns. Garland's are specific.
“We're just having a ton of discussion. We do have the practice data, too,” Atkinson said. “We can compare his accels and decels to game data. We can look at his sprint speed. We can look at his mechanical intensity. And then, we have also our force plate testing and all that in our testing lab. So we're getting a lot of information.
“I try to rely on the professionals to give us the best information, me and the player. But again, I keep telling these guys, I want you to be ready, ready to be at almost peak form. That's my goal when these guys do come back.”
It even goes deeper to project game reps vs. simulated reps.
“Is he getting close to hitting those [markers] in practice? That's not always easy to replicate in a team scrimmage or a workout,” Atkinson said. “We try to create environments where they're hitting these markers and then, obviously, there's the examination. We got on the table, they're looking at mobility, all that stuff. And then, we have our testing in our performance lab… We've got to do the best thing for the player and for the team.”
The Cavs will be without Garland and Max Strus early in the season, but it certainly sounds as if the former will be suiting up sooner than originally anticipated.
