Last season’s top team in the East isn’t having the best start, sitting at 4-3 after a strong 64-18 run. The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t looked the same without their star guard Darius Garland, whose absence has clearly hurt their rhythm. The good news? Garland could be back soon, giving the Cavs a much-needed boost to get back on track.

After missing four playoff games last season and the first seven this year, Darius Garland might finally return on Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

“Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star Darius Garland will make his season debut as soon as Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. Garland, who underwent offseason surgery to repair a big toe, will be upgraded on Cavs’ injury report as he is set to return,” the ESPN analyst reported.

This is huge news for Cleveland, a team desperate for someone to ease the load on Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt. The 25-year-old was outstanding last season, playing a key role in the franchise’s best-ever regular-season finish. Though he struggled late because of a nagging toe injury that sidelined him for several games, Garland still averaged an impressive 20.5 points per game.

Garland did more than just score last season, averaging 2.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists while shooting an impressive 47.2% from the field. Now, as he prepares for his long-awaited return against Philadelphia on Wednesday, he will look to regain that same rhythm. The big question now is who he will replace in the starting lineup as Cleveland welcomes its star guard back to action.

Where will Darius Garland fit in this Cavaliers team?

Well, while the Cleveland Cavaliers must be quite excited after hearing that Darius Garland is nearing his return, it’s been a while since he’s taken the floor. And in his absence, head coach Kenny Atkinson had been forced to trust several other players. Now it will be interesting to see how the two-time All-Star will fit into the Cavaliers’ head coach’s plans.

So far, Cleveland has been playing without its full roster for almost the entire campaign. However, for the most part, the team’s backcourt duo has consisted of Lonzo Ball and Donovan Mitchell. Ball, who was acquired from the Chicago Bulls over the summer in exchange for Isaac Okoro as a backup point guard, has had a pretty bad start to the season.

The 28-year-old has been averaging 5.8 points along with 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists, which is not only significantly lower than his career average of 11.3 points per game but also nowhere near the level of Darius Garland’s production. So, it should be an easy choice for Kenny Atkinson, as he would ideally want to start both Mitchell and Garland.

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More so, given the sheer amount of other injuries that the team has on its roster. These include the likes of guards Sam Merrill and Max Strus, along with big man Jarrett Allen. Not to mention, both these guards seem to have a great connection on the court, something we all witnessed last season.

In fact, the Cavs were 51-15 last season when both these guards started, which is quite impressive given that the team was 3-3 when they didn’t. So, it’s safe to say that with Darius Garland expected to make his debut on Wednesday, Cleveland will be hoping they can build some momentum.