Darius Garland is fresh off a season in which he was named an NBA all-star for the first time in his short career. He, along with the Cavs as a whole completely exceeded expectations during 2021-22 season and blew everyone away. He put up averages of 21.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 8.6 APG, and shot over 38.3% 3PT from beyond the arc. This man put his team on his back time and time again and after each and every injury to the team, Garland seemed to take his play to another level.
In fact, the 4th year guard was 1 of just 4 players to average at least 21 PPG, 8.0 APG, & shoot above 45.0% from the field in 2021-22. The others were:
Trae Young: 28.4 PPG, 9.7 APG, 46.0%
Dejounte Murray: 21.1 PPG, 9.2 APG, 46.2%
Luka Doncic: 28.4 PPG, 8.7 APG, 45.7%
So Where does Darius Garland go from here?
Well, suiting up alongside a fellow all-star in Donovan Mitchell should provide Garland an opportunity to become one of the most efficient players in the league. He absolutely has the tools to put the coveted 50/40/90 stat-line in 2022-23. He most likely won’t be tasked with the gargantuan load he was last season and the added spacing that Spida could provide will undoubtedly give DG more looks than ever as an off-ball shooter, something he has the skillset for but doesn’t seem to do enough of.
Garland knocked down 35.4% of his spot up triples last season on 2.8 attempts per game but completed 43.2% the season prior most likely due to not having to have the ball in his hands at all times in order for the offense not to crater. With the addition of Mitchell, and growth of Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro, I expect Garland to shoot more threes now than ever. He took 6.7 per game last year and that ranked 47th in the NBA which tied with Miami’s Tyler Herro.
This season, look for Garland to let it fly early and often. The Cavaliers have more options offensively this time around than they had last season. This in turn could mean a reduction in overall points scored across the team but time will tell. His overall shot attempts may drop but his overall 3s per game could and should rise. Another area in which he should improve is his ability to take care of the ball. He committed 3.6 turnovers per contest during the 21-22 campaign which placed in the 28th percentile for guards.
Playing with another ball dominate guard in Mitchell should ease the pain here and Garland should drop back under 3.0 per game.
At the end of the day, Darius Garland's fit with Donovan Mitchell will be a monumental storyline throughout the duration of the Cavs season but if preseason is any indication, these two can operate hand in hand. Buckle up Cavs fans, another all-star caliber could be on play for DG THE FRANCHISE PG.
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