Darius Garland missed a significant amount of time for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season because of injuries, but the guard reportedly also took time away due to a horrible loss in his family.
During the season, Garland lost his grandmother, which caused him to be away from the team during off days.
“He had to overcome a fractured jaw that had him drinking out of a straw for more than a month — an injury that led to substantial weight loss and kept him from playing like his usual self,” wrote Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “There were a few other nagging injuries that made it tough to find a rhythm. He also suffered a significant personal loss with the death of his grandmother that led to him leaving the team multiple times on off days.”
Garland also missed time from mid-December through almost all of January after suffering a fractured jaw and was dealing with those other nagging injuries.
The tribulations no doubt led to a down season for the 24-year-old, who averaged 18.0 points and 6.5 assists per game while being able to make 57 regular season appearances. In the prior two campaigns, he averaged more than 21 points and almost eight assists per game and played in at least 68 games in each season. He also was chosen to an NBA All-Star Game.
“It was a lot,” Garland said. “Sometimes you just have to go through it. Always bumps in the road. This was a big speed bump. It was really tough last year. It was definitely a learning experience for me. Just tried to stay mentally locked in and tried to keep my head up and keep a smile on my face.
“I just had to stay mentally strong while going through a tough time in my life and having to fight adversity.”
This offseason, trade rumors continue to follow Garland and there was a report that as many as eight teams could show an interest in dealing for him. Those rumors continued and accelerated again after teammate Donovan Mitchell finally agreed to a lucrative contract extension to stay in Cleveland long term.
Garland reportedly was “pissed” about the idea that he wanted to leave the Cavs if Mitchell did indeed get a new contract with them. In his remarks about his rough 2023-24 NBA season, he reiterated that he did not want to be traded.
Last season, despite the absences of Garland, the Cavaliers were able to earn the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they won a playoff series for the first time since 2018, defeating the Orlando Magic in seven games. The Cavs then lost to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in the second round in five games.
This season, the Cavs will be led by new head coach Kenny Atkinson, who was hired to replace J.B. Bickerstaff, who was fired following the playoff loss to the Celtics.
With Mitchell in the fold and Garland committed to staying, in addition to the returns of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the Cavs should be at full strength to try again to make the NBA Finals for the first time since 2018.
