Darius Garland is closing in on a Cavs return after a G League recovery

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland was assigned to and recalled from the G League this week, spending time with the Cleveland Charge to continue conditioning and getting reps as he recovers from left big toe surgery.

With the Cavs in Detroit and Boston, Garland wouldn’t be able to maintain his comeback regimen. He traveled with wine and gold to New York and participated, but stayed home for Cleveland consecutive road games this week.

Garland is currently in full swing in the practice environment, “scrimmaging and all,” a league source told ClutchPoints. The Cavs are just wary of bringing him into a game environment, and rightfully so. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported it Garland is targeting the first week of November.

“If Garland remains on the three-game homestand from Oct. 31 to Nov. 5, it is very likely that he will return during the six-game stretch that begins on Nov. 13. Garland is still in the later stages of his injury and has stepped up his activities behind the scenes to prepare for a return to action on Oct. 2. He was writing very close to Oct. 2.”

Kenny Atkinson’s most recent public announcement came on October 20, when he admitted that the 25-year-old before the deadline in his rehabilitation.

“I always say it’s not a return to play, it’s a return to performance,” Atkinson said. “Like, I’m just not like, ‘Hey, guys. Oh, yeah, he’s back, and he’s shooting 10 percent from three in the first eight games.’ So we have to make sure they get back into the game, but they are ready to get back to perform at a high level.”

The Cavs could use their All-Star point guard back in the fold, like the offense had its “awkward” moments during the first week of the season. There were times when they didn’t drive the perimeter or get their big ball close to the basket, instead swinging it outside and settling for jumpers.

Garland is a facilitator by nature, setting up two-man plays with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in the pick-and-roll and spraying shooters primed to release him.

“He’s a guy who puts a lot of pressure on the rim and the paint,” Atkinson noted in his pregame press conference on Sunday.