After a disappointing second-round playoff exit at the hands of the eventual champion Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers had an interesting offseason. The Cavaliers were in a lot of rumors. This included them potentially moving on from star guard Donovan Mitchell. Additionally, some reports suggested that Mitchell and Cavaliers teammate Darius Garland would eventually have to be split up. Ultimately, the Cavaliers did not make many moves and opted to keep the team intact. With just a few weeks remaining in the 2024-25 season, the Cavaliers own the No. 1 seed in the East.
Recently, Garland spoke about the team’s motivations this year. The Cavaliers guard referred to this season as a bit of a “revenge season.” Additionally, Garland said he wanted to get back at his doubters from last year.
“It was, quote-unquote, the revenge season. It’s a lot of people on the list that I wanted to get my get back, and a lot of people counted me out and doubted me from last year. So I just had that in my memory bank and just worked my butt off this summer. I was in the weight room a lot, trying to get my body back right. In the gym a lot, just trying to sharpen up my tools. But this year was literally a revenge season, just for all the doubters and the haters that just counted me out from last year with all the stuff I was going through,” Garland said.
Cleveland Cavaliers Guard Darius Garland Explains Team’s Motivation This Year
Darius Garland’s Season So Far
Now in his sixth season in Cleveland, Garland is in the midst of one of the best years of his career. So far, Garland is averaging 20.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Furthermore, he is shooting 47.4% from the field and 40.4% from beyond the arc. Garland also earned the second All-Star nod of his career this year. According to Cavaliers president Koby Altman, this was a big goal for Garland.
“He wanted to get back to an All-Star level and that was our job to help him get back there,” Altman told ESPN. “It was our job to help him with the staff that was going to empower him again. But never once did Darius ever ask out, never once did Darius have an issue with Donovan, and never once did he have an issue with the organization.
Recently, Garland admitted the thought of leaving Cleveland “crossed my mind.” However, the guard made it clear he has no desire to go anywhere.
“It crossed my mind. Like just literally crossed it for like five seconds,” Garland told ESPN when asked if he ever considered leaving his lone NBA franchise. “But I really love this group, man. It’s like a real brotherhood. We’ve been together for three years now, four years now, and I really want to win here.
The Last Word
Garland and the Cavaliers are playing great basketball. However, they will still have some challenges to overcome to win their first title since 2016. Once the playoffs come around, they will be one of the major teams to keep an eye on.
© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
