Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland, big man Jarrett Allen and forward Dean Wade are all in jeopardy of missing the team’s regular-season opener against Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
#Cavs Jarrett Allen (ankle bone bruise) is officially listed OUT for tomorrow’s opener in Brooklyn. Don’t be surprised if Allen misses the two home games this weekend as well. Darius Garland (left hamstring strain) is QUESTIONABLE. Dean Wade (illness) is DOUBTFUL.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) October 24, 2023
Garland is heading into his fifth season in the NBA — all with the Cavaliers franchise — after the team selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He is fresh off arguably the best season of his pro career, seeing as how he averaged 21.6 points, 7.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game during the 2022-23 regular season while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and a career-high 41.0 percent from outside the 3-point arc.
The floor general’s best preseason performance came against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 12. He scored 19 points in just 17 minutes of playing time and knocked down seven of his 12 shots from the field. The Cavaliers lost to the Magic by a final score of 108-105, though, thanks to an 18-point performance from Orlando forward Franz Wagner. Guard Markelle Fultz also chipped in 13 points for the Magic.
Wade is also entering his fifth season as a Cavalier after joining the team as an undrafted free agent back in 2019. He played in just 44 games with Cleveland last season and averaged 4.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.6 steals per game. The 26-year-old struggled to score the ball efficiently from the field a season ago, as he converted just 41.2 percent of his field-goal attempts for the Cavaliers.
Allen has played for the Cavaliers and Nets across his six seasons in the pros. He averaged 14.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game across 68 appearances with Cleveland during the 2022-23 regular season (all starts).
The 6-foot-9 big man didn’t appear in any of the Cavaliers’ preseason games due to an ankle injury.
Hopefully, Garland will be available for Cleveland’s game against the Nets on Wednesday, as he’s arguably the second-best player on the team behind only Donovan Mitchell. After playing the Nets, the Cavaliers will face off against guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
