The Cleveland Cavaliers notched their first road victory of the 2019-20 season over the Washington Wizards on Friday. In that one, rookie guard Darius Garland did particularly well, and his performance could be a springboard for him really getting it going moving forward.
It was nice to see the Cleveland Cavaliers get their first road win of the 2019-20 season on Friday, in what was a convincing 113-100 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Most importantly, in that one, while factoring in great performances from the other starters and a career-high with 13 points from rookie wing Kevin Porter Jr., it was a big positive to see rookie guard Darius Garland finally get going as a scorer.
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While I understand that 3.6 assists per game is not breaking any records, Garland has moved the ball well thus far this year in most instances, and has initiated productive ball-swings, so that metric doesn’t necessarily show that as a passer, he’s done a good job I believe.
The key to this Washington win, though, for me and I’m sure many other Cavs fans, was Garland having 15 points, and coming up with some buckets in winning time, too.
He had those aforementioned 15 points on an efficient six-of-11 shooting, as was noted by ESPN, and he was controlling the flow in many instances, and played an integral role in again, getting others involved. He had six assists, too, and as Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor highlighted, Garland had career-highs in scoring, assists and shooting clip (54.5%) in his young career.
This performance, though it was against a now 2-6 Washington team with plenty of defensive issues, could be a springboard moment for Garland, who only appeared in five games in his collegiate career at Vanderbilt due to a reported meniscus tear.
Playing in his first game with a big spotlight (the game was televised nationally on ESPN), Garland had as Fedor touched on, a game where he put it all together, and even better yet, against as Fedor noted, Garland’s “AAU mentor” in Washington star guard Bradley Beal.
Fedor also hit on how Garland’s “bucket with about three minutes remaining gave the Cavs needed breathing room and seemed to inflame his confidence.”
Though sources of Fedor’s recently said that “Garland’s usual speed, quickness and athleticism isn’t all the way back,” he still seems to have been playing at a good pace thus far, as Cleveland Cavaliers such as Kevin Love have noted, and again, seeing the ball go in the bucket, and with him doing that in winning time, this game against the Wiz could really get Garland going.
Best game of DG's young career: 15 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. #BeTheFight | @dariusgarland22 pic.twitter.com/KUxewCfa3Q
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) November 9, 2019
Of course, often being defended by 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas helped Garland get to his spots to score and playmake, but Garland finished plays, and consistently made good decisions, including in key moments. He was a plus-13 against the Wiz on Friday, and it really showed.
For Cleveland head coach John Beilein, Garland getting it going in a big way had to be refreshing to see, again, especially with the Wizards clawing their way back into the game, and Garland making things happen in clutch time.
Hopefully in coming games Garland can get more involved as a three-point shooter, and off-the-catch, in particular, as he only had two attempts against Washington, but in that game, he took what the defense game him, and did not force tough looks in the paint as much over length.
Overall, though, as usual, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson did their thing again and set the tone combining for 37 points, 24 rebounds, five assists and four blocks (as ESPN referenced), this game against the Wiz, again, could be a springboard for Garland really getting it going.
Confidence is so huge for young players, and I believe, with the shooting and handling ability he has, and with his quality passing vision along with that, that Garland can turn it around rapidly.
Yes, he’s off to a tough start as a scorer.
Garland is currently averaging 8.5 points on only 37.3% effective field goal shooting, according to NBA.com. That is the second-worst effective field goal shooting clip on the Cleveland Cavaliers in this 2019-20 season.
However, with him making sound decisions still, for the most part, this season, he’ll get it going in the other way as a scorer, too, if he just continues to look for his shot. With his range, and advanced in the pick-and-roll, the opportunities will come.
Garland just needs to fire when they do, or if matchups are more favorable, take what defenses are giving him, as he did against the Wiz.
I’d imagine that after that big performance, though I understand it was just one game, Garland will be more sure of himself going forward.
That’s really the key for him on a nightly basis in this league as a young primary ball-handler, and I’d think we’ll see more spot-up and off-screen looks from him in coming games, too.