Cavaliers Make Sure There Are No Structural Damages To Darius Garland's EyeLOAD Injuries

JAKARTA - The Cleveland Cavaliers got some good news after ensuring their star Darius Garland was not seriously injured or structural damage to his temples in the NBA opener this season.

The All-Star guard was unable to complete the match which ended with Cavaliers losing 105-108 to the local Toronto Raptors on Wednesday (19/10), after his parity was netted after accidentally turning a guard finger against Gary Trent Jr. who tried to steal the ball.

Garland was immediately flown to Cleveland and a day later underwent a follow-up examination at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute finding his injury not causing structural damage to his temples.

"Of course it doesn't look fun," said head coach Cavaliers JB Bickertas as quoted by Antara from the NBA's official website on Friday.

"When you take a hit right on the inside of your temple, it will certainly cause swelling and make the ball red. Hopefully he gets better soon," he added.

Cavaliers said they would review Garland's condition in the next two days, but it looks like he will miss out when they travel to Chicago Bulls headquarters on Saturday (22/10) local time.

A day later Cavaliers will undergo their first home game of the season hosting Washington Wizards.

After his eyes were curled in, Garland lay on the pitch for a few minutes before being slowly spread to the dressing room.

Bickertas, who had met Garland before the player flew to Cleveland, admitted that he did not understand whether his guard had serious problems with his vision due to the incident.

"What is clear is that his eyes are closed more. Of course it is difficult to see when your eyes are closed. But when he can open his eyes, he can still see," he said.

It's not yet known how long Garland will be out, but Bickertas seems to have overseen the task of dismantling pancamula pairs like he did last season.

Raul Neto's senior point guard, which Cavaliers picked up this summer, could get more minutes of playing than this situation, while the team's burden would certainly shift completely to the shoulders of new star Donovan Mitchell.

Garland experienced rapid development last season while ending up being one of the NBA's best guard points, having recorded an average of 21.7 points and 8.6 assists while helping Cavaliers win 22 more wins than the previous year.

The performance led Garland to penetrate the All-Star team for the first time and presented it with a five-year contract worth USD 193 million by Cavaliers.