Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland is expected to make his season debut on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
After undergoing offseason surgery in June to repair a turf toe injury that limited him in the playoffs last season, Garland was forced to miss the preseason and the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. In his absence, the Cavs have gone 4-3, with added pressure on the shoulders of All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell to do the heavy lifting for the team.
Garland has been making tremendous strides in recent weeks, and the Cavs knew he would not miss a lot of time to begin the year.
On October 24, league sources told ClutchPoints that Garland was targeting a potential return from his left big toe surgery as early as the first week of November. Whether he would return then depended on the Cavs' medical team giving him the green light to proceed.
That green light has been given after Garland spent time practicing and scrimmaging with Cleveland's G League team, and he will now very likely make his season debut on Wednesday night against the 76ers.
This is a significant boost to the Cavaliers, not only because of Garland's production on the court, but because this team has been very shorthanded to begin the year.
Along with Garland missing the team's first seven games, Max Strus has also been sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot. Strus is not expected to return to the court in Cleveland until after the calendar flips to 2026.
Sam Merrill, who has filled Garland's place in the starting rotation, has been battling a hip issue, and starting center Jarrett Allen has missed two straight games with a non-displaced fracture in his left ring finger. Not to mention, Mitchell missed one game and has been on the injury report with hamstring tightness.
Garland's return could not have come at a better time for the Cavaliers, especially since their offense ranks bottom five in the NBA through their first seven games.
It is expected that Garland will be eased back into action and face a minutes restriction for his first handful of games upon returning from injury. The Cavs and head coach Kenny Atkinson are always prioritizing long-term health over all to be ready for the playoffs, and that same philosophy will apply to Garland when he returns on Wednesday night against the 76ers.
The Cavaliers will soon make Garland's return official.
