Cleveland Cavaliers Star Discloses Brutal Reason For Struggles

This Cleveland Cavaliers star had a rough year last season, but people seem to forget why.

Oct 16, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Last year, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland had a rather rough season. It was so trying, as a matter of fact, that many felt the Cavaliers should trade him over the summer.

Cleveland decided to hold on to Garland in spite of the fact that his fit with backcourt mate Donovan Mitchell has been called into question, and now, the 24-year-old has revealed one of the primary reasons for his difficulty 2023-24 campaign: a fractured jaw.

"I can still remember that play," Garland said, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. "I was trying to make strides, trying to take steps in the right direction and trying to get better and then, boom, I literally get hit in my face and it's back to (expletive) near square one all over again. That's what made it so tough last year."

Garland lost a considerable amount of weight during his recovery as a result of being on a liquid diet, which adversely affected his readiness for games.

"The momentum was picking up. Was getting better every day. We were getting better as a team. I felt like I was starting to learn so much and then ... another bump in the road, another year of adversity," Garland said. "I sort of lost my joy for basketball."

Garland played in just 57 games last season and averaged 18 points over 33.4 minutes a night on 44.6/37.1/83.4 shooting splits.

What many seem to forget is that the former first-round pick actually enjoyed the most efficient campaign of his career during Mitchell's debut season in Cleveland, as he posted 21.6 points per game while posting a true-shooting percentage of 58.7 percent two years ago.

Perhaps before we completely write off Garland, we should give him an opportunity to remain healthy for a full season again.

He is just three years removed from an All-Star appearance, after all.