Kendrick Perkins called out Darius Garland after the Cavaliers’ playoff exit, but it appears the young All-Star was secretly playing through injury.
Darius Garland was hoping to make a big impact in the playoffs for the Cleveland Cavaliers this year. But things didn’t pan out that way for him or for the Cavaliers.
Despite being the first seed in the East with three All-Stars, the Cavaliers lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
Darius Garland didn’t particularly play well, averaging just 14.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 rebounds. And by Game 3, he sustained an injury that kept him out of the rest of the series.
Garland spoke about how the injury impacted his performances after the playoffs. But Kendrick Perkins was very vocal in criticizing Garland for not playing well.
Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty ImagesDarius Garland to miss start of 2025-26 NBA season after undergoing toe surgery
In the immediate aftermath of the Cavaliers’ playoff exit, Kendrick Perkins criticized Darius Garland and demanded better from him going forward.
Perkins said: “Darius Garland has to hit the weight room this off-season and get stronger and get mentally tough. Very disappointed in that young man this postseason.”
But as we found out more about the situation, it appears Perkins was far too harsh and hasty in his criticism of the All-Star.
Shams Charania reported yesterday that Darius Garland underwent toe surgery to address his injury, and it was serious enough that he will be forced to miss the start of the 2025-26 NBA season.
Kendrick Perkins was wrong to criticize Darius Garland despite his injury
Clearly, Perkins didn’t know the extent of Garland’s injury. But the fact that he targeted his mental toughness and conditioning to criticize him shows that his injury was something he never considered.
The fact that Garland was playing through the severe pain of a toe injury is incredibly courageous. And for Perkins, as a basketball analyst, to not do his due diligence before giving his opinion is not the best look.
The former NBA champion has a history of making bold and provocative comments when covering the NBA, often to a mixed response.
Hopefully, Perkins apologizes to Garland like he did when he made personal comments about Anthony Edwards.
Anthony Edwards is one my favorite players in the League if not my favorite player. I apologized privately so I’m apologizing publicly to the young 👑 for my comments on First Take yesterday. My bad young fella. I Was not taking a personal shot at you but I could see how it could…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 28, 2025
View Tweet
For now, Garland will focus on his recovery and then sorting out his future with the Cavaliers. There have been rumors about Garland and the Cavaliers possibly parting ways.
That will be a big story, given just how strong a performer Garland has been in Cleveland. But his first priority will be making a full recovery and returning to the basketball court.