Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland recently underwent surgery to repair his problematic left big toe. This injury has been nagging him all of the playoffs. The surgery was conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It was done by Dr. Nicholas Strasser, but only after conferring with the Cavs’ team doctor, James Rosneck of the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Bob Anderson of OrthoCarolina.
Garland should be out four-to-five months while the surgery requires recovery time. As you can imagine, with the playoffs on the horizon, this injury has had his mind very much preoccupied. He missed four games. He severely re-aggravated the injury after diving for a loose ball in the Cavaliers first-round series versus the Miami Heat, affecting his play severely. He came back in the middle of that series against the Indiana Pacers. The nagging injury was obviously holding his performance back.
The 2022-2023 season was one for the record books for Garland, who made 212 three-pointers, the third-most in franchise history. He became one of only two players this season to average 20+ points, 5+ assists, and 40+% 3-point shooting on the season. The other is Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. The problem for his candidacy is that his contributions stopped cold when he missed the last two games of the regular season. This was all as a result of his injury.
Due to this surgery, Garland will most likely miss the beginning of the regular season. The Cavaliers organization continues to feel positive about his recovery process.
“He is expected to make a full recovery and resume basketball activities by the start of training camp.” – Cavs’ statement
ESPN Senior Writer Brian Windhorst broke the news on Garland’s surgery. He talked about the difference this procedure will make for the players and the team in the long run. The Cavaliers will need to navigate the early part of the upcoming season without one of their key players while they await his return.
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