It was a pleasant surprise when Evan Mobley and Darius Garland returned to the court for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sure, the return of two of Cleveland's top players is always welcome. But, considering that the Cavs were and continue to be one of the hottest teams in basketball, an already elite team was about to take things to the next level with Mobley and Garland back.
That sentiment crystallized almost right away when Mobley was on the court. Cleveland's star big man is averaging 15.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and nearly a block and steal in just 24.3 minutes per game.
Ever since he returned to the floor and regained his stamina, Mobley has flipped a switch, locked into picking apart opponents on either end of the floor. It has given the already red-hot Cavs another spark to keep them rolling, and when Mobley is no longer under a minute restriction, his teammates and coaches know something big is coming from him.
Meanwhile, for Garland, things haven't been as seamless as it has been for Mobley. In his six appearances after jaw surgery, Garland has averaged 11.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and nearly a steal in 25.4 minutes per game.
Across the board, those numbers are lower than Garland's career averages, and the points per game total is lower than he averaged in his rookie campaign. If you ran with those numbers, you'd think Cleveland needs to change their plans with Garland and possibly bring him off the bench. But, with context, it's easier to understand that there's actually no need to worry about Garland despite the suboptimal return to the floor.
Cavs' Darius Garland taking this slow in return from injury
Physically, Garland still isn't 100% despite being medically cleared to return to the floor. After his first game back against the Detroit Pistons, Garland shared with ClutchPoints that he lost 12 pounds while his jaw was wired shut due to having to eat every meal processed by a blender.
While his first solid meal was Chick-fil-A, Garland did say that he's still working to get his proper playing weight back slowly but surely. Couple that with Garland being strictly forbidden from physical training while his jaw was wired shut. So, it's understandable that Cleveland's star guard is behind the eight ball while back on the floor.
Speaking of being back on the floor, everything has been an adjustment for Garland since the team is in a much different place than when he last played. The Cavs have thrived running a movement-heavy offense, with the ball more often than not in Donovan Mitchell's hands. When Cleveland runs their offense through Mitchell on certain plays, it forces Garland to play off the ball, something he clearly is still adjusting to.
More often than not, Garland stands there, watching the play unfold, forcing the Cavs to play four-on-five offense when he and Mitchell share the floor together. That's not an indictment saying that Garland should come off the bench or that the Cavs need to break up the All-Star backcourt.
Instead, the proper solution is a mixture of Garland and Cleveland's coaching staff working together to figure out how to find ways for Garland to fit into the new scheme while he continues to recover. Sure, it'll take time – which isn't ideal for midway into the NBA season. But, with how well Mitchell and Garland complement one another already, it should be figured out sooner rather than later since that's what elite teams, like Cleveland, tend to do.
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