Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland should return soon, but it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be back for Wednesday’s home game vs. the Magic.
As relayed by Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he does not expect Garland to play against Orlando, as Garland continues to recover from a lacerated left eye, suffered in the first half of the season opener.
Garland has been out since, with the eye having swollen shut. Bickerstaff said Sunday that Garland can see out of the eye — but it has to be forced open first.
Garland has indeed returned to some on-court activity, a sign that he is indeed closer to taking the court in a game.
As of now, the Cavs and Garland are targeting Friday’s road game against the Celtics for Garland to return, though even that remains a little iffy.
Cavs, Darius Garland (eye) continue to target Friday vs Celtics for return, sources tell @WireHoops. But nothing concrete just yet.
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) October 24, 2022
“He’s doing better,” Bickerstaff said on Sunday. “Just waiting until the swelling goes down. When you hold his eye open, he can see — so that’s obviously a good thing. It’s just going to take time. We’ll wait and see how the swelling responds.”
Garland was on the sideline in sunglasses, often cheering on his teammates, during Sunday’s win over the Wizards. He also tightly embraced fellow Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell following the victory.
Garland, 22, is coming off a season in which he averaged career-highs of 21.7 points and 8.6 assists in making his first All-Star team.
Looking for the latest NBA Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow Hoops Wire on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NBA News and Rumors for all 30 teams!
