Darius Garland last played on December 14, 2023, against the Boston Celtics where he collided with Kristaps Porzingis and suffered a horrific jaw fracture. The injury has kept him sidelined for more than one and a half months, missing 19 straight games. Shams Charania recently revealed that the guard has been exclusively on a liquid date and has had wiring in his mouth. During this period, the guard couldn’t even open his mouth properly and had to keep mum.
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With his wirings removed, a couple of weeks ago, the guard is likely to make his return soon. On his FanDuel-powered Run It Back podcast, Shams Charania touched upon when the guard can potentially return to the lineup.
“I[Shams Charania] am told Darius Garland plans to make his return Wednesday against the Pistons at home. He has been out since December 14 with a fractured jaw. He had his mouth wired shut for four weeks.” disclosed Shams Charania.
Without Garland, the Cavs have been hanging tough and have notched 17 wins against just 7 losses. Before the fixture against the Detroit Pistons, they have notched 28 wins and 16 losses, which is good enough for fifth place in the Eastern Conference Standings. They are 2.5 games ahead of sixth-placed Pacers and 0.5 games behind the red-hot New York Knicks. With Garland returning to the fold against the Pistons, coach J.B. Bickerstaff will have to shuffle his starting lineup.
How will coach Bickerstaff manage the high-flying Cavs after Garland’s return?
Before his jaw injury, Garland was tallying 20.7 points and 5.8 assists per game. As he went down, Bickerstaff was also dealing with Evan Mobley’s absence. On Monday, Mobley returned during the Cavs’ win over the Clippers after missing six weeks because of knee surgery. As a starter, Garland will probably replace Wing Isaac Okoro considering Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen have been designated starters.
Therefore, the Cavs are going to field the Garland-Mitchell-Strus-Mobley-Allen combination. Garland knows the system well and his offensive presence will magnetize a lot of defenders. With Mitchell as the ace and a streaky but dependable Caris LeVert off the bench, the team is full of scorers.
Max Strus provides a great supply as a floor-spreader while Mobley and Allen are defensive dynamos and can also give adequate scoring. Considering the Cavs’ recent success on the defensive end with Okoro as the starter, Garland will have to make a huge defensive commitment.
After winning 10 out of the last 11 games, the Cavs are heading for another top-four/five finish in the East. They are unlikely to fall below sixth unless they hit a major slump or their injury list grows. Therefore, they are a legitimate playoff squad. Bickerstaff’s insistence on tough defense can aid their quest for a deep Playoff run but much of it will depend upon how the Cavs assimilate Garland into their new winning formulas.
