Since the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Donovan Mitchell in the summer of 2022, the team has been under immense scrutiny to win. Former All-Star Darius Garland has been at the forefront of that criticism as his play has declined this past season. Recently, HoopsHype released their annual NBA point guard rankings where Garland was ranked just 17th.
Darius Garland Disrespected in New Ranking
After reaching his first All-Star game in 2022, the future looked extremely bright for Garland. However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the 24-year-old since then. He has seen a decline in his production in the last two seasons since his All-Star selection. Garland’s decline has been a mix of having a new role and injuries but, his talent is still on display and he has shown flashes of his All-Star self. As well, this offseason saw the Cavs guard in potential trade talks. But, those have settled down and it appears Garland will continue as a Cavalier for the foreseeable future.
Disrespectful Ranking
Hoopshype’s ranking of Garland below the likes of LaMelo Ball and James Harden is quite disrespectful. It was no surprise that Garland was ranked outside the top 10 after he had a disappointing 2023-24. However, despite a jaw injury that saw him miss a month of action and lose over 10 pounds Garland still ranked second on his team in scoring with 18 points per game and first in assists with 6.5. Among players ranked higher than Garland on the list three have never been named All-Stars yet rank above him. Having Garland outside the top 15-point guards is significantly underestimating one of the most talented young guards in the league.
The article also mentions that they had higher expectations for Garland coming off his All-Star campaign. Keeping with the theme that the Cavs guard has displayed how good he can be.
“We had one-time All-Star Darius Garland projected as high as No. 12 ahead of the 2022-23 season but things have not panned out like he might have hoped lately”
In the two years before his injury-riddled 2023-24, Garland averaged 21.6 points and 8.2 assists per game. We likely will see Garland return to this form as long as he stays healthy. This will also help him and Mitchell gel more as they look to return to their 2022-23 form. In that season the two combined for 49.9 points per game which was 44.4% of the team’s total points. The Cavs backcourt is one of the most talented offensive duos in the NBA. The offense will also see an uptick in production as the team brought in Kenny Atkinson to replace J.B. Bickerstaff at the helm. Having Atkinson’s faster-paced offensive philosophy in place will only help Garland.
Onward and Upward
Garland will enter the 2024-25 campaign with a chip on his shoulder and much to prove. Under Kenny Atkinson’s new system, Garland could explode on offense. A productive season this year could see fans forget his lackluster 2023-24 season. Regardless, as long as Garland stays healthy he will be able to lead this Cavs team to a third straight playoff appearance.
