The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to have more problems with an issue that has haunted them all season.
It has been a campaign littered with injuries, both long-term and day-to-day, and with coaching staff wanting to preserve some players through injury-management absences.
Now, it looks like Darius Garland could be added to the season-long injury management list.
During the Cavaliers’ loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday night, the broadcast team hinted that the point guard would be under injury management for the season.
Cavs broadcast today basically said the Darius toe stuff will be an all-year management thing. That’s just such a huge blow to know he won’t be operating at full capacity and that will definitely limit their offensive ceiling.
— Anthony Lima (@SportsBoyTony) December 1, 2025
Garland would join fellow point guard Lonzo Ball in the injury management list, as Ball is kept out of back-to-back games and his minutes are capped.
Garland underwent surgery on his toe during the offseason and was kept out of the team during the start of this season to recover fully. He made his season debut against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 5.
After this third game against the Miami Heat on November 10, Garland reaggravated his toe and has since been monitored to avoid further injury, with him playing in limited minutes.
His production certainly hasn’t been at the level he has manufactured from his All-Star seasons with the Cavs.
More bad news for the Cavs, but with a loss comes potential hope as it opens the door to promising point guard Craig Porter Jr., who is playing productive basketball in his limited minutes off the bench.
Porter Jr. had four points, four rebounds, and two assists in 11 minutes against the Celtics, and 5.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season.
Whenever the 25-year-old Wichita State man is on the floor, he shows a heap of energy and a high-basketball IQ when on the floor.
His three-point shot, a necessity in today’s NBA, is still a work in progress, but his playmaking ability, mixed with his solid pick-and-roll play that can create shots for his teammates is a plus point for Cleveland.
The fact remains, though, that the Cavs will be monitoring Garland, seemingly for the entirety of this season. He has played in seven games and shown flashes of brilliance, but overall, he has struggled to recapture his form.
If Porter Jr. is to step up, then he will have a lot of weight on his shoulders in order to deliver the goods. And right now, that’s the theme of the Cavaliers right now, having dropped three straight games and now possibly facing their star point guard not at 100 percent.