The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently preparing for the upcoming season, which is slated to begin in less than a month against the New York Knicks. While the Cavs enter this year with high expectations, they will have to weather an early-season storm with both Darius Garland and Max Strus sidelined due to various injuries.

Recently, Cavs general manager Koby Altman gave some progress reports on the state of those two players.

“(Garland) had a really good offseason, only because he focused on the things that we’ve been talking about for a long time with him, which is weight room strength,” said Altman, per SleeperCavs on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s stronger, he’s more stout, he has a great attitude… he’s back on the court now, doing basketball activities now.”

“(Strus) is going to miss a few months,” he added. “When we get him back here, he’ll still come down to Sarasota with us, and there will probably be a better update after we spend some time with him there.”

The Cavs’ training camp this year will be held in Sarasota, as Altman referenced.

A big test for the Cavs

Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the first quarter of game two of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat at Rocket Arena

David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cavs did a good job of staying above water despite key injuries during the regular season last year, but unfortunately, they had no such luck in the playoffs, ultimately bowing out to the Indiana Pacers in five games in the second round, with multiple starters missing time in that series.

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This year, the Cavs will hope for some better injury luck after Strus and Garland return, and they’ll also look forward to more continuity in Kenny Atkinson’s second season as the head coach.

Overall, especially considering the injury-weakened state of the Eastern Conference, the Cavs figure to have just as good a chance as anyone to represent the conference in the NBA Finals, although there have been concerns about the team coming up small in the biggest moments over the last few years.

In any case, the Cavs’ and arguably their biggest competition in the East, the New York Knicks, will tip off their respective seasons against one another on October 22.