Cleveland Cavaliers: Three takeaways from the preseason

Porter and Garland are going to be so fun to watch

Porter is a player that’s going be a fan favorite pretty early on I would think, especially if he becomes a meaningful contributor as a bench wing scorer, which now with Windler potentially starting the season sidelined, could definitely be the case.

Though it’s going to be tough I’d imagine for Porter to be a really efficient player early on for Beilein and company, with him being only 19 and coming off a season where he couldn’t get into much rhythm at USC as he only started in four of his 22 games active (per Sports Reference), it was clear in the preseason that with Porter’s handle, he’ll be able to get separation on the perimeter often, and should be able to showcase a ton of potential as a scorer, even in the season’s first few months.

He’s going to be really fun to watch with his tight handle, ability to change speeds on a dime, and athleticism; this high-flying jam against the Pistons was even more evidence in regards to that (this highlight per the Cleveland Cavaliers).

Garland, Cleveland’s top draft selection (which was fifth overall), is a player that many fans will be drooling over this season as well; he had 16 points on six-of-13 shooting (including two-of-five from three-point range, per ESPN) in 25 minutes of playing time in the last preseason game.

Though I would’ve liked to have seen him play more in other games, and with Sexton in particular given that the two should be starting together whenever it’s feasible, Garland still displayed a bunch of ability as a pick-and-roll ball-handler and flashed his deep range, as was shown here (per NBA on ESPN).

https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1184252942414577664?s=20

His passing vision, though the assists didn’t come as much as they could’ve, was on display throughout, too, and he’s going to be awesome to watch because of that as well.

This feed, and credit Dean Wade, too, for the cut, played right into Garland having great feel for getting his teammates involved (highlight per the Cleveland Cavaliers).

https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1184277650270851072?s=20

Hopefully Garland’s ankle is all good at the season’s outset, because like Porter, Garland is dynamic with the ball in his hands, and as a catch-and-shoot player, Garland, who shot 47.8% from three-point range in his short stint at Vanderbilt (per Sports Reference), could be a heck of a floor spacer from the jump.

I’m sure he’ll splash from long range often after deliveries from the likes of a combination of Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., Clarkson, Osman, Dellavedova and others.

Fans will be all for that, too.