Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from Thursday’s 115-109 loss to Raptors

Takeaway #1: The young guys show plenty of promise

The current young pieces, particularly Garland, Sexton and Porter all showed promise in this game.

This game must feel good for Garland, as his last few outings it appeared he had been struggling and looked as if he hit the rookie wall; reported sickness had some to do with that, too, as our own Dan Gilinsky hit on.

Garland was able to get back on track on Thursday, though, as he had 16 points on seven-of-16 shooting, dished out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds, as indicated by ESPN. Garland helped lead the surge with the second unit and eventually, a few other starters, that got the Cavs back in the game.

He scored five points in the fourth quarter and also had three assists in that span, and again, this was a nice bounce back game for the 20-year-old rookie.

Collin Sexton also continued his strong January with another 20-plus point game, as previously noted, while also shooting nine-of-17 from the field. He again played with a ton of energy and was flying all over the court in this game, too.

What’s most encouraging about Sexton lately is the improvements he’s made as a passer/playmaker. He’s made some really good dishes on basic reads in recent games and that continued Thursday, while he also finished with four assists, per ESPN.

We all know Sexton can really score the ball and he has the ability to be a decent defender, but what’s most encouraging with Sexton is some of the improvements he’s made as a passer.

This sort of play where Sexton initiated a really productive ball-swing demonstrated that.

https://twitter.com/FOXSportsCLE/status/1223056526589513729?s=20

Porter also showed plenty of positives in this game.

Coming into this season being viewed as someone that was very raw and though he still is, Porter’s by far exceeded my expectations. For the game he had 13 points on five-of-nine shooting, which included him hitting two-of-four from deep, to go with three rebounds and an assist.

He’s shown very little rust with how well he’s played these last three games coming off a 10-game absence due to a reported left knee sprain and him also reportedly spraining his right ankle at the Detroit Pistons on Monday (that doesn’t seem too severe, however).

I’m still very high on Garland, I still like Sexton, but of the three, Porter might have the best chance to become an All-Star and it’s clear he looks like one of the steals of the 2019 NBA Draft. The next takeaway hits on the down side of the Cavs’ youth, too, though.