Continuing a series looking at the contributions and growth of the Cleveland Cavalier’s young players, this time featuring the Cavs franchise PG, Darius Garland. Garland has had a troubled season so far. He’s had to deal with several injuries that will limit him to one of the lowest game totals of his career. He’s suffered neck, hamstring, ankle, and, most notably, jaw injuries this year. That’s kept him in and out of the lineup, making it hard to get a rhythm. With all that said, Garland’s performance has been somewhat troubling, considering his max contract.
Number’s Down
Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports
In terms of Garland’s numbers, they are down across the board. He’s averaging his worst shooting percentages and scoring numbers since his rookie year. Even his assists have been down for the past two years, although recently, he seems to be really trying to focus on that part of his game at the expense of his scoring. That being said, it’s been a fairly small drop-off off, all things considered. It points more towards stagnation than any sort of regression.
That’s also true on the negative side, though. Garland can struggle somewhat with ball security. Many of the best playmakers will by nature of their position, but the problem is how he turns the ball over and how it hasn’t gotten any better. A good portion of Garland’s turnovers come from driving too deep into the paint without any exit strategy. That results in something forced, whether a shot, a risky pass, or even going out of bounds. That should be fixable, but it still hasn’t been improved upon.
His advanced numbers are even more worrying. For the money Garland is making, you’d like him to be at least in the top ten at his position. It’s pretty hard to make that assertion right now. Advanced metrics (EPM, DPM, LEBRON, PER) all put him far outside the top 10 point guards, anywhere from 15th at best to 30th and below. Many of them don’t have Garland as a top-100 player in the league this season. The point guard position is pretty stacked right now, but Garland is also one of the highest-paid players in the league. This year, he certainly hasn’t played like one.
Vibes Down
Another possibly bigger problem is that Garland just seems less dependable than he has been in the past. One example is Garland’s play without Mitchell this year versus last. Last year, Garland was fantastic without Mitchell, averaging 25.5/3/9, including a 51-point outburst against Minnesota. This year, he’s at just 19.7/3/6.9. I do not want to play armchair psychologist, but Garland looks less aggressive and less intense this year. In his breakout 2021-2022, Garland was the guy that could go out and score a bucket when the Cavs needed it most. Against all the defensive attention, Garland could fight his way solo to a bucket. Now, there are more and more games where he’s almost like a passenger.
Excuses?
To be fair, breaking your jaw and being forced into an all-liquid diet would make anyone less confident. He’s reportedly lost a good amount of weight as well. That, along with all the other injuries, makes it hard to judge Garland too much for this year, but the stagnation for a max man is worrying. With his size and relatively average athleticism, becoming an excellent defender or a premier rim attacking player seems like a longshot. Therefore, his improvement lies in becoming one of the best playmakers in the league or becoming one of the best shooters in the league. It’s not an easy goal, but it is one the Cavaliers paid for. Garland can do it; he was pretty darn close the past two years. For the Cavs, they have to hope this year was just a fluke and he can get back on track.
Patrick Yen is a contributor on Back Sports Page. He has written for NBC, SB Nation, and a few other websites during his four-year sports journalism career. He has been the Back Sports Page beat writer for the Philadelphia 76ers and now the Cleveland Cavaliers. Patrick, a graduate of Ohio State University, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but moved to Columbus, Ohio, early in his life and has lived there ever since. You can find more of Patrick on Twitter @pyen117.
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