Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Key Cavaliers guard closing in on return from injury

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 1/18/24

Darius Garland hasn't played since Dec. 14. He suffered a broken jaw against the Boston Celtics when he ran into a Kristaps Porzingis screen. Without Garland, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been short-handed in terms of playmaking and secondary scoring.

When speaking on a recent episode of FanDuel TV's "Run it Back," Shams Charania revealed that the standout guard will potentially be able to return to the court in a "couple of weeks."

"Darius Garland, he had a fractured jaw last month," Charania said. "He is starting on-court work. I think the hope within the Cavs is that within the next few weeks, he's able to make a return. They need Garland back. They need to get him and Donovan Mitchell and continue to get them reps in the backcourt together. Because these two guys still haven't had two full seasons in the backcourt together...Getting Garland back in the lineup, hopefully in the coming weeks, is going to be important."

"[Darius Garland] is starting on court work, I think the hope within the Cavs is that within the next few weeks, he's able to make a return."@ShamsCharania updates on DG and Evan Mobley's injuries.

: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/DTiJ5HhHA2
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 18, 2024

Garland has missed 19 games this season, with the count expected to continue rising. When he's on the court, he's one of Cleveland's best players. This season, he's averaging 20.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists, shooting 47% from the field and 34.6% from three-point range.

Nobody is expecting the Cavaliers to be a championship-winning team this season. However, they have the talent to make a push for the second round. With multiple young players on their roster, the Cavaliers front office will want them to get as many postseason repetitions as possible. In order for the Cavs to make some noise in the playoffs, they need Garland and Donovan Mitchell working in tandem, and that comes with familiarity — which is why getting both guards on the court together for the second half of the season is so important.

Recovering from a fractured jaw takes time. Making sure Garland is healed enough that he's not at risk of relapsing on the injury will also be of the utmost importance. However, the quicker the Cavs can get their star guard back on the court, the quicker they can begin preparing for an exciting postseason journey.

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