INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland will participate in limited basketball activities during training camp, and is still expected to miss at least the first month of the regular season.
Garland had surgery on his injured big toe that hampered him during the playoffs in early June. Cleveland had the best record in the Eastern Conference last season but was eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in five games in the conference semifinals.
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said Garland has had a good offseason from a strength conditioning perspective.
“He focused on the things that we’ve been talking about for a long time, which is weight room strength. He looks good. He’s stronger, more stout and has a great attitude. I think his mental is in the right place," Altman said. “The biggest thing is how do we start to ramp him up from a conditioning standpoint? That’s not something that can happen in two weeks.”
The All-Star guard averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists during the regular season. He missed the final two games of the regular season and four games during the playoffs with the turf toe injury.
Cleveland could begin the season with Donovan Mitchell moving to point guard and Sam Merrill starting at shooting guard. The Cavaliers also acquired Lonzo Ball from the Chicago Bulls during the offseason and could give him extended minutes early in the season.
“With this guy, he hits what we do to a tee. He will add a lot,” coach Kenny Atkinson said of Ball.
Forward Max Strus is also expected to be out for the first two months of the regular season following surgery on his broken left foot. Altman said the Cavaliers could have a better timeline following six days of training camp workouts next week at IMG Academy in Sarasota, Florida.
Strus averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 50 games, including 37 starts, during the regular season to help the Cavs finish atop the Eastern Conference.
DeAndre Hunter, who the Cavaliers acquired at the trade deadline last season, is expected to get most of the minutes in Strus' absence.
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