Kenny Atkinson provided an important update on Darius Garland's status ahead before the Cleveland Cavaliers final preseason game

Darius Garland wouldn't commit one way or another to whether or not he'd be ready to suit up for the Cleveland Cavaliers at the start of the season a few weeks back. 

"I'm doing everything on the court right now," Garland said at the team's media day on Sept. 29. 

A little over a week out from the Cavs regular season opener, it was head coach Kenny Atkinson providing a notable update on his All-Star point guard. 

"He did some five-on-five today with the extra work group," Atkinson said ahead of Tuesday’s preseason finale against the Detroit Pistons. "It was live, so it was very short."

Regardless of how long the session lasted, it's a critical step in the right direction for Garland as he continues working his way back from surgery to repair a left great toe injury. From there, Atkinson said he wants to see how Garland feels on Wednesday after his increased work load. 

At this point there is still no timetable for Garland's official return to the floor. Back at media day he noted that he also had a date in mind for when he'll be ready to play, but was unwilling to share it. 

Early estimations seemed to suggest Garland could miss the first 10 games or so of the season, but nothing definitive was ever set. This latest update in his recovery, however, is an optimistic one and could ultimately mean the 25-year-old could be ready sooner rather than later. 

That would obviously be good news for the Cavs, who open the regular season next Wednesday, Oct. 22 on the road against the New York Knicks. It's probably still ambitious to expect Garland to be ready by then, especially with Atkinson erring on the side of caution. 

"We know that this is not an easy injury to come back from,” the Cavs head man added. "You see what happens in the NFL with this injury, it’s not linear usually in the return to performance. We’re hoping that it will be, and he’ll progress. But I side on the side of being conservative and making sure that this is a good step today."