How Darius Garland's return instantly made the Cavs better

Darius Garland took a deep breath before walking onto the Rocket Arena hardwood on Wednesday night for his season debut against the Philadelphia 76ers.

He was instantly comfortable, happy and eager to get going. And once he got going, it was like he was never away. For him, similar to riding a bike - you never forget.

Garland’s influence was pivotal in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 132-121 victory over a Sixers side that was without Joel Embiid, who doesn’t play back-to-back games due to injury management. For once, the Cavs had the advantage on that front.

But while Garland piled up his eight points and four assists in 26 minutes, the Cavaliers looked themselves again. His presence, voice, and leadership as their floor general were what they needed.

"Those first seven minutes, that was Cavs basketball," Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “A lot of it was started by him, with the speed, his ability to get advantages, and he knows what sets we want. … He just got us in our comfort zone.

"Just [his presence] in itself, everybody kind of gets back to more what their role is, and that might be the biggest point.”

Sure, Garland was rusty; the point guard missed Cleveland’s first seven games following surgery on his injured big toe in early June. The same injury that took a noticeable toll during last season’s Playoffs, when he missed four games.

But rust was countered by influence and helping out on the floor. He made the Cavs better.

“Seeing the ball go through the hoop, passing the ball to 45 (Donovan Mitchell), Ev (Evan Mobley) and JA (Jarrett Allen) for sure,” Garland said about what he missed while recovering from surgery.

“It was great to be back with the teammates. Being around them makes me happy.”

Atkinson had noted that the Cavs’ offense had been “clunky” with Garland hogging the sidelines, itching to get him back to playing.

Mitchell was running the point and needed to develop his own attacking style alongside Evan Mobley, who had adjusted to his new role but wasn’t yet accustomed to it. Despite the setbacks, they both held the fort admirably, leading Cleveland to a 4-3 mark.

But with Garland returning and players now fitting into their favored positions, the difference was night and day, especially for Mitchell, who went for 46 points – a season-high for him against the Sixers.

“You have a guy that can initiate and find [players],” Mitchell said of Garland.

“Obviously, he’s going to find his rhythm, but just get in there, create, get easy shots, knock shots down, he makes everybody’s life easier.”