CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers have been without their All-Star point guard Darius Garland for the start of the season as he worked back from a toe injury he sustained at the end of last season and had surgery to repair it this offseason. On Wednesday, that changed with Garland cleared to play in his first game of the 2025-26 season.
Garland was listed as available after going through pre-game warmups. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said in his pregame media availability that he expected Garland to play barring any setbacks in his warmups.
After taking shots and working with coaches and trainers, Garland was given the thumbs-up to play.
The Cavs will also see the return of two other players who have been sidelined with injury.
Center Jarrett Allen has missed the last two games with a fractured finger. He went through pregame warmups and was cleared to play, as was guard Sam Merrill, who missed the last three games with a hip injury.
While the Cavs will certainly enjoy having all three guys back, Atkinson does expect the addition of Garland into the mix to come with a few bumps as he takes the court for the first time this season.
"We just have to expect some bumps. I just keep stealing Don's [Donovan Mitchell] line, 'It's not going to be perfect,'" Atkinson said. "The good thing is they've played together for a while, the main guys, so I don't expect it to be totally off, but I'm interested to see how they react together."
