Darius Garland's injury reason for concern for Cavaliers

Darius Garland’s heart and mind wants to get the Cleveland Cavaliers out of their slump and give it everything, but is his body saying different?

Indeed, a tricky situation to be in, given that he led the Cavs with 26 points and nine assists in the 119-111 overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets, but there was an underlying issue on display.

On drives to the basket, or anything that involves adjusting his footwork, Garland can be seen grimacing. He played 39 minutes against the Hornets on Sunday, and at times during the contest, you could see the pain radiate through his body.

He is already on injury management for a toe injury, but it’s clear to see that even though he wants to compete, he might be faced with no choice but to cap his minutes properly.

Kenny called DG's toe injury reaggravation tonight a "stinger."

Said he gets them when during hard changes of direction.
— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) December 14, 2025

“I get paid a lot of money to do that, first and foremost. I love basketball,” Garland said postgame against the Hornets. “I love being out there with my teammates, enjoying their success.”

“That’s who he is, and who he is to us,” Donovan Mitchell added.

“We know he’s tough. We know he’s fighting through a lot. But for him to continue to put the team first, that’s what we need. I’m glad he had his best performance. He’s gonna get better and better for us.”

However, as Mitchell said, this isn’t about Garland’s season-high for points or his consistent contribution to his assist numbers.

This is about possibly persevering Garland in the long haul – if they decide to keep him out of trade talks.

Right now, since he had his offseason surgery on his toe, Garland has not been at 100 percent.

The problem has held him back since his reaggravation against the Miami Heat on November 10. His relentless downhill game is having a horrid effect, and any more, and it might not be a shock to see him joining the growing list of players on the sidelines.

But taking him out now is the best option in order to get the best of Garland in the future.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson, never one to show concern and stay tight-lipped on the health and fitness of his players, remains upbeat.

“He broke through,” Atkinson said. “He gets these stingers when he’s got a hard change of direction, hard plant, and I thought he played through it tonight.

“I feel like he’s starting to find it a little bit — starting to get by, starting to get to the rim, starting to get into the paint a little more — so that’s a positive.”

Atkinson and Garland know best. However, will it come back to haunt them?