Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland underwent surgery on Monday to address a lingering injury to his left big toe, which affected his performance during the playoffs.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Nicholas Strasser at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, done in collaboration with Cavaliers team physician Dr. James Rosneck of the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Bob Anderson of OrthoCarolina, a specialist in foot and ankle injuries.He’s expected to be sidelined for approximately four to five months.
In an official statement, the Cavaliers expressed confidence that Garland will “fully recover and be ready to participate in basketball activities by the start of training camp” in October. However, sources told ESPN that Garland may not be available at the beginning of the regular season.
The 24-year-old Garland missed the final two games of the regular season before aggravating the injury in the Cavs’ opening-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. He ultimately sat out four postseason games, but returned later in the playoffs during Cleveland’s matchup with the Indiana Pacers – where he was clearly hampered by the injury.
Garland became one of only two players—alongside Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić—to average at least 20 points, 5 assists, and shoot 40% from beyond the arc this season. He also knocked down 212 three-pointers, the third-highest single-season total in Cavaliers history.
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