Cavs' Darius Garland expected to play against 76ers

The Cavaliers are getting closer to being whole. Unless point guard Darius Garland suffers a setback, he is expected to make his season debut tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers at Rocket Arena. The 6-foot-1, 192-pounder missed the entire preseason and the first seven regular-season games after recovering from surgery on his left big toe. Garland was hobbled in the playoffs last season and had surgery on June 9. The prognosis at the time was that he would miss 4-5 months. Garland, who is entering his seventh season out of Vanderbilt, went through a full practice Tuesday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "We'll see how he responds," coach Kenny Atkinson said. "He's really close. Let's see what (this) morning looks like." Garland, 25, has scrimmaged five-on-five and recently practiced with the G League Cleveland Charge. "We just need the green light," Atkinson said, who added Garland's minutes will likely be restricted to about 25. "We'll have to feel this out. (He'll play) a decent amount of minutes from his conditioning standpoint."The Cavs (4-3) will benefit greatly from Garland's presence in the lineup, most notably his perimeter shooting, playmaking and ballhandling. "He's an advantage-maker," Atkinson said. "He can create an advantage with his speed. We become a faster team. He gets in the paint a ton. He makes other people better. He's an elite passer." The coach said players like De'Andre Hunter and Dean Wade will get better shots. "Our shot quality is decent right now," Atkinson said. "We can be better." Garland has averaged 18.9 points and 6.7 assists in his career and has shot .388 from 3-point range. The Cavs are also expected to get shooting guard Sam Merrill back in the lineup. He's missed the last three games with a bruised hip, but the Utah State product also went through the whole practice Tuesday. Atkinson is worried about Merrill taking another hit on his right hip. "The fear is he gets hit," the coach said. "We'll have to work through that. There's a pain tolerance. I would assume there will be padding." The 6-4, 205-pound Merrill is off to a strong start, averaging a career-high 17.3 points while shooting a sizzling .514 from long distance. Center Jarrett Allen (broken left ring finger) and swingman Max Strus (left foot surgery) remain out of the lineup. Livingston signed The Cavs announced the signing of small forward Chris Livingston to a two-way contract Tuesday. The 6-6, 228-pounder appeared in 21 games (1 start) last season for the Milwaukee Bucks. He also appeared in 18 games for the G League Wisconsin Herd and averaged 18.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals. The Bucks waived him on Oct. 16, a day after his 22nd birthday. In his two-year NBA career in Milwaukee, Livingston appeared in 42 games, as well as four postseason contests. He was drafted by the Bucks with the No. 58 pick in 2023 after one season at Kentucky, where he averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 34 games. Livingston is a native of Akron, played his high school freshman and junior seasons at Buchtel and was named Gatorade Ohio Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2021. He also attended Western Reserve Academy in Hudson and Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. "For me, it's simple," Atkinson said. "I trust the front office. I don't know Chris' game intimately. He's a local kid from Akron. I can't wait to get to know him better. I'm excited to have him." Cleveland's roster now sits at 17 players, which includes three two-way players. Luke Travers and Nae'Qwan Tomlin are the other two two-ways. Livingston will wear No. 8. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.