With a 64-18 record, the Cavaliers finished first in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland had the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
They swept the Miami Heat in round one, but lost in five games to the Indiana Pacers in the conference semi-finals. Injuries derailed their chance to make a deep postseason run. Starting PG Darius Garland suffered a toe injury late in the season, and it bled into the playoffs. He was not 100% but tried playing through the pain. The team announced on Monday that Garland had successful surgery on his big toe. Garand is expected to miss roughly 4-5 months.
Darius Garland is expected to be ready for the start of training camp
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 9, 2025
At the end of the 2024-25 season, Darius Garland suffered a toe injury. He missed two of Cleveland’s last three games. Additionally, Garland missed four straight games after re-aggravating the injury in round one. In Game 3 of the second round, Garland returned for the Cavs, but the team was already down 0-2 in the series to Indiana. The 25-year-old was not 100%, and the Cavs lost in five games to the Pacers.
The Cavaliers’ press statement noted that Garland is expected to miss 4-5 months. That puts him on track to be ready for the start of training camp in October. It was unfortunate for Cleveland that Darius Garland missed time in the playoffs. Many analysts believed the Cavs would at least make the Conference Finals.
In 2024-25, Darius Garland started a career-high 75 games for the Cavs. He averaged 20.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.2 steals. Taking a career-high 7.1 threes per game, Garland shot .401% from beyond the arc. Cleveland still has the core of their roster together, and it’ll be back for the 2025-26 season. Darius Garland is a key piece on the Cavs’ roster, and they need him back to be a contender in the East. Barring a setback, expect Garland to be ready for the start of next season.