Cleveland Cavaliers: Grading each pick from the 2019 NBA Draft

Darius Garland selection grade: B

The selection of Darius Garland was one where Altman and the organization were projecting long-term, because Garland is a very talented guard that seems to have big-time potential.

Though he only played five games in his collegiate career at Vanderbilt (due to a reported meniscus tear), Garland showcased his impressive shooting ability, and off-the-bounce, in particular.

He averaged 16.2 points per game on 63.9% effective field goal shooting, including a 47.8% hit rate from three-point range, and clearly that to appeal in a huge way to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Beilein.

Garland is also said to project to have much better passing vision/passing playmaking potential than Sexton, who is not a natural facilitator.

That being said, Sexton did improve in that area over the course of the season, and really didn’t have a ton of shooting to work with.

Anyhow, realistically, the selection of Garland (a prospect listed at 6-foot-2 and 174 pounds, per NBA.com) seems as though it will considerably stunt the growth of Sexton as a playmaker and decision-maker, and given how both will likely mightily struggle to defend in the near future, as many young point guards do, you’re banking entirely on other defenders to make up for Garland and Sexton’s liability for a long while.

I understand the obvious appeal when it comes to Garland, and his shooting and pick-and-roll scoring will likely be there right away, but do the Cleveland Cavaliers’ other pieces, such as Porter, Ante Zizic and Osman keep progressing with Garland and Sexton potentially shot-hunting too often?

That is something Beilein and his staff will have to make sure doesn’t happen in the coming years.

For now, though, Garland is really optimistic about a backcourt with him and Sexton, and that’s good to see for now (courtesy of the Cavs’ Official Twitter).

Additionally, Garland is reportedly friends with Cleveland veteran leader Tristan Thompson, according to Basketball Insiders’ Spencer Davies, and that’s encouraging. The fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft needs to establish a quality relationship with his teammates (though the other picks do, too) and organization as a whole, and it’s a positive that Garland’s endeared himself to Thompson prior to him ultimately becoming TT’s teammate on the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers are clearly going to be patient in their rebuild in the coming years, and hopefully, they can make positive strides in the near future on the defensive end as well.

Unless otherwise referenced, statistics for this article were gathered from Sports Reference’s college basketball statistics.