Khalifa Diop has been ruled out of Sunday's preseason game against the Magic because of a left knee issue, Serena Winters of FanDuel Sports Network Ohio reports. Diop remains day-to-day, the same status he carried into the weekend, and Cleveland will be without him in the frontcourt rotation for the matchup.
What happened
Khalifa Diop is day-to-day with a left knee issue, the same day-to-day tag the Cavaliers used for him on Thursday, Oct. 8, when the issue was listed as undisclosed. The team specified the knee on the injury report filed Sunday, Oct. 11 at 6:00 PM ET. Diop has been ruled out for Sunday's preseason game against the Magic, Serena Winters of FanDuel Sports Network Ohio reports. No further detail on the injury has been announced.
What it means for the Cavaliers
Cleveland hosts the Magic on Sunday at 6:30 PM ET on ESPN without Diop available. He has not recorded a stat line this season, so his absence does not change the scoring picture, but it trims frontcourt depth. Evan Mobley (31.9 minutes, 18.2 points) and Jarrett Allen (27.1 minutes, 15.4 points) remain the frontcourt options who would absorb extra minutes, with Donovan Mitchell (33.5 minutes, 27.9 points) and Darius Garland (30.5 minutes, 18.0 points) still running the backcourt. The Cavaliers have not played a regular-season game yet, so there is no record to measure with or without Diop.
What to watch
The Cavaliers list Diop's expected return as Oct. 13, two days after Sunday's game against the Magic. His next update will come on the team's following injury report. Cleveland also lists Nae'Qwan Tomlin as day-to-day with a back issue on the same report, another frontcourt name to track as the preseason schedule continues.
Is Khalifa Diop playing vs Magic?
No. He has been ruled out for Sunday's preseason game against the Magic because of a left knee issue, Serena Winters of FanDuel Sports Network Ohio reports.
When will Khalifa Diop be back?
His expected return is listed as Oct. 13. No further timeline has been announced.