Cup of Cavs: The reintegration of Darius Garland

Good morning. It’s Sunday, November 30. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 12-8. Let’s talk about Darius Garland.

Darius Garland played a career-high 75 games last season. Staying healthy for a full year allowed Garland to play the best basketball of his career. He hit a groove early in the season and helped Cleveland win 64 games along the way.

Through 20 games of the current season, the Cavaliers have already lost eight games, and Garland has missed twice as many games as he did the previous season.

Things are bad.

It’s possible that things feel worse than they are. After all, the Cavs are only two games back from the second-best record in the conference, even though it feels like they’re currently buried six feet under. A single week of basketball could put them back in first place — with only 3.5 games keeping them away from the Detroit Pistons.

My point is, there’s a lot of season left, and the Cavs aren’t that far behind anyone else in the East. 62 games stand between now and the playoffs.

How many of them will Garland appear in?

Cleveland has struggled without him. The Cavs have an 8-6 record in Garland’s absence and have gone 4-2 with him. Garland is providing a +5.3 boost to their net rating when he’s on the court. Most of all, the Cavs are scoring nearly 10 points more per 100 possessions with Garland. That’s life-saving production for a team that ranks 16th in offensive rating this season.

I don’t have to tell you what Garland brings to this team. Efficient shooting. Elite playmaking. A floor general who can make everyone else around him better. Donovan Mitchell might be an electric scorer but Garland brings the type of stuff this team is sorely missing.

The problem is, DG has only been available for six games. Six games that have seen him hit the floor and wince in pain every time he steps the wrong way on his injured toe. Reintegrating any player back from an injury is a challenge. But I don’t even know where to begin with Garland’s current situation. How do you hit your stride when every other step is a limp?

I’m not sure how or when the Cavs will turn this season around. All I know is it won’t happen until Garland is back in the lineup for more than a few games at a time. Here’s to hoping that process is underway.

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