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First quarter of Cavs' regular season highlighted with injuries
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- First quarter of Cavs' regular season highlighted with injuries
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are a quarter of the way through the 2025-26 regular season, but because of an injury-riddled 21-game stretch they haven't had much of a chance to learn about their potential ceiling looking ahead to the playoffs.
With a loss to the Boston Celtics Nov. 30 — their third consecutive defeat — the Cavs stood at 12-9. They haven't played a single minute at full strength as most of the rotation has been in and out of the lineup.
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The Cavs have tried to look for silver linings in their injury-heavy predicament, like the discovery of more role players they might be able to trust in key moments — namely, second-year guard Jaylon Tyson . But, slowly, frustration can set in as they perform below their expected level of play, regardless of the contributing circumstances.
All-Star guard Darius Garland missed 14 games and is still ramping up to full speed. Center Jarrett Allen has missed six games and is now dealing with separate finger injuries, one on each hand. They've been without forward De'Andre Hunter, the " offseason MVP ," for four games. Guard Sam Merrill , signed to a long-term extension this past offseason, has missed nine of the team's 21 games. Small forward Max Strus has yet to make his season debut. The list goes on.
"Every season's different. We were blessed with almost perfect health last year [in the regular season] and this year is different and you got to manage it differently," coach Kenny Atkinson said. "That's part of our jobs as coaches, to manage that, how to still incorporate the right lineups. It makes it more challenging, there's no doubt.
"I felt last year we were running the same lineup, same rotations. You get on this rhythm and that's how you get momentum. This has been a little jagged, and therefore clunky, and we just have to embrace it."
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Cavs' spot in NBA standings defined by injury report
For the Cavs, this regular season is all about prep for the postseason. Nothing is left in terms of regular-season accomplishments that would carry much weight. In that way, they know they have time to iron on some flaws before the panic button needs to be hit. Their focus is on April, not the end of November.
Still, the Cavs are wanting to show a bit more regardless of the injury situation or where they are on the calendar. They came out flat Nov. 30 against the Celtics and, despite a comeback in the final minute, fell short.
"Yeah, we just gotta bring it every time we step on the floor," said All-Star forward Evan Mobley , who finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in the 117-115 loss. "Every second of the game, we can't let up."
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If the Cavaliers were a perfect 21-0, the message would be similar — it doesn't mean much until the playoffs arrive. But short-handed or not, the Cavs haven't been thrilled with their recent play. One thought in the locker room is they have, perhaps, become too comfortable with looking ahead to the spring.
"I just think we're on cruise control, right?" Tyson said after the loss. "As a team, I think we're not hungry enough. What happened to us last year, it's a similar thing that's happening this year — getting ran out of the gym, getting beat on the glass. Toughness, right? So it's just a common theme and ultimately it's on us to fix it."
While shuffling and reshuffling the lineup like a deck of cards at a Penn & Teller show, the Cavs also went through a stretch in which they played 15 games in 27 days. Another period of five games in seven days is coming up. But they'll also be given nearly a full week of rest for the NBA Cup in December. It's a deep breath on the schedule, and something to which they're looking forward.
"Every day counts, right?" Atkinson said, referencing the several players rehabbing from injuries or managing playing time. "Whether it's Sam or JA or Max, that helps. … When it's [five games in seven days], you're just trying to maintain and recover."
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) rebounds against Houston Rockets center Steven Adams on Nov. 19, 2025, in Cleveland.
Jarrett Allen injury update
Allen missed time with a finger injury earlier this season and is again out, but now with an injury to the other hand. It's been impacting how he can receive passes in the paint, and it reached the point where the team feels it's best for him to simply let it all heal rather than continue to play through it.
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Allen will miss at least a week of games.
"Yeah, I think he was playing with a lot of discomfort," Atkinson said. "I give him a lot of credit for trying to [play] though it, but it was obvious to him and obvious to me quite honestly, watching it, he was really protecting it and [with it being] both hands, it's just hard.
"He's got a fracture in one and then the other one's damaged, and if you're a center it's almost like being a tight end. You got to catch the ball."
Forward Larry Nance Jr. , meanwhile, is expected to be sidelined for the next 3-4 weeks with a calf strain. The injury was sustained in Atlanta and confirmed with imaging in Cleveland as a Grade 1 strain.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs injuries piling up as season passes quarter point
