Darius Garland's season debut date with the Cleveland Cavaliers announced

The Cleveland Cavaliers have dealt with their fair share of injuries to start the 2025 season.

But they’ll be getting a massive lift as All-Star point guard Darius Garland is set to make his return.

Garland could make his season debut as soon as early as Wednesday night’s matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The 25-year-old guard will be elevated on Cleveland’s injury report and is set to make his debut with the Cavs. Garland missed the start of the regular season as he rehabbed an offseason toe surgery.

Garland initially injured his toe in Cleveland’s first-round sweep against the Miami Heat. He was sidelined for nearly the entire series against the Indiana Pacers. Even when Garland returned to action, he certainly didn’t look healthy.

The Cavs missed Garland against the Pacers last season and were bounced in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

To start this season, the Cavs are off to a 4-3 start. At times, the offense has struggled and reflects a team that is missing their All-Star point guard. While Lonzo Ball was a big offseason addition, he’s still finding his footing in Cleveland and cannot score as effectively as Garland.

Garland’s return will certainly make life easier for head coach Kenny Atkinson in his second season. Atkinson has leaned heavily on young guards including Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr. and rookie second-round pick Tyrese Proctor. With Garland healthy, Atkinson could slim down the rotation.

The Cavaliers have also been without Max Strus due to a foot injury since the start of the season and Jarrett Allen due to a fractured finger over the last few days. Strus will miss several more weeks, while Allen could return to the lineup a little bit sooner.

Despite all of the injuries, Donovan Mitchell’s usage is the lowest that it has been since his rookie season. He’s doing it all while generating a career-high in points per shot attempt. Garland returning to the backcourt should make life even easier on Mitchell, as the Cavaliers will have another player on the perimeter capable of handling the offense and knocking down shots.

Garland has been rehabbing at practice with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate.

He’ll get activated in time to be available for Wednesday night’s matchup against the 76ers. Expect him to be on a minutes restriction as Atkinson will be responsible with managing his workload as he returns from last season’s painful toe injury.