Cavaliers’ Darius Garland could make season debut Wednesday vs. 76ers: Sources – The Athletic

CLEVELAND – Cavaliers All-Star Darius Garland could make his season debut Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers after missing the first seven games recovering from offseason toe surgery, three league sources told The Athletic.

Garland, 25, a two-time All-Star point guard, underwent surgery in June to repair the injury to his left big toe that forced him out of four playoff games last spring. He has been able to participate in basketball activities for more than a month and has ramped up his workouts and practice time over the last two weeks.

Barring any last-minute setbacks from practice Tuesday, Garland would join a lineup that has also been missing starting small forward Max Strus (foot surgery) and center Jarrett Allen (broken finger), as well as backup guard Sam Merrill (hip), who was starting in Garland’s absence next to Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs are 4-3 so far this season after beginning the previous campaign winning their first 15 games.

Garland averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists last year, but was hampered throughout the playoffs by an unspecified toe injury that not only forced him out of games in the first and second rounds, but hobbled him significantly when he was able to take the court.

The Cavs’ offense has been a shell of itself without Garland. They had the top offense in the NBA (121.9 ppg) and were the second-best shooting and 3-point shooting team in the league last season, but head into Wednesday’s game against the Sixers with the league’s 26th-rated offense and in the middle of the pack as a shooting team.

Part of that is because of Cleveland’s necessary reliance on younger players with so many veterans hurt, and the Cavs also decided to force Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley to take a ball-dominant approach on offense, which has slowed Cleveland’s ball movement and pace. The Cavs also don’t have many players currently getting into the lane to create shots at the rim. Garland can do that. Mitchell can, too, but has been bothered by a sore hamstring and has said he is trying to take less contact earlier in the season to be healthier when the playoffs arrive months from now.

Both Merrill and Allen were listed as “questionable” before Cleveland’s win over Atlanta on Sunday, and their returns could be based as much on pain tolerance as anything else. Strus is expected to miss months.

The young player who has perhaps taken the most advantage of his opportunity has been second-year wing Jaylon Tyson, who is averaging 10.9 points and shooting 44 percent from 3-point range.

After Tyson went for 16 points with five 3s and played solid defensively against the Hawks, Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said Tyson was showing the traits that could make him a “$20 million per year” player.