Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers established their dominance in the Eastern Conference when they secured the No. 1 seed in the 2025 NBA playoffs. While they were eliminated early at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, it was still impressive to see how far the Cavs have come since the beginning of the Donovan Mitchell era.
Mitchell has helped turn the Cavaliers into one of the East’s elite teams, but he could not have done it without Darius Garland. This season, with the Cavaliers struggling to replicate the success of their previous campaign, the team took a significant blow when Garland suffered an injury. The Cavs recently provided an important update on his status.
Darius Garland Expected To Miss up to 10 Days
The last time Garland played was Wednesday, when the Cavaliers took on the Philadelphia 76ers. After 23 minutes of action, Garland was sent to the locker room with an apparent foot injury.
Despite Garland’s abrupt exit, the Cavs went on to beat the Sixers dominantly, 133-107. The two-time All-Star still posted strong numbers, finishing with 20 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.
Unfortunately, Garland was not medically cleared to return for Cleveland’s back-to-back game against Philadelphia. His injury proved to be more severe than initially anticipated.
The Cavaliers announced Garland’s injury status on social media on Sunday. He suffered a Grade 1 right great toe sprain and is expected to miss at least one week.
During his recovery, Garland will undergo rehabilitation in hopes of making a quick return to the court.
“Cavaliers guard Darius Garland injured his right great toe on January 14 at Philadelphia,” the Cavaliers’ announcement read. “Further evaluation and imaging at Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine on Saturday, revealed a Grade 1 right great toe sprain.
“Garland will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days. During that evaluation period, Garland will undergo a series of treatment and rehabilitation and his status will be updated as appropriate.”
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 18, 2026
Garland is putting up 18.0 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.4 rebounds this season, though his scoring and efficiency have dipped from a year ago. He and the Cavs are still trying to find their rhythm. With him in the lineup, Cleveland is 13-13, but in his absence, the team has managed to thrive, going 11-6.
Based on the Cavs’ schedule, the earliest possible return date for Garland would be Jan. 26 against the Orlando Magic. If he is unable to return by then, Jan. 28 against the Los Angeles Lakers is another potential target.
