Darius Garland Injury Update is Crushing News for Cavs

The Cavaliers' are underperforming relative to preseason expectations and now must continue without star point guard Darius Garland for the foreseeable future.

Following a collision with the Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis, Garland is now expected to miss several weeks.

With the Cavs sitting in the Play-In Tournament should the season end today, this is a big blow to a pivotal player.

Cavaliers Injury News: Darius Garland to Miss Several Weeks

Donovan Mitchell is the star, but Garland's importance in running Cleveland's offense cannot be overstated.

He's averaging 20.7 points per game this season while averaging just under six assists with strong shooting numbers, though this is easily Garland's best defensive effort in the NBA.

Through roughly a quarter of the season, Garland is averaging a career-high 1.6 steals per contest for a defense that ranks in the top 10 in defensive rating across the league.

Cleveland needs to turn things around quickly, especially offensively, and now struggling guards like Max Struss and Caris LaVert need to step up. In the short term, Mitchell will likely take on more of the scoring and playmaking role, though the Cavaliers won't survive without other players stepping up.

There is not a pure backup point guard on the roster. As a result, I expect a move to come in the near future. We'll see what happens, but this is terrible news for the Cavs long-term regardless.

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