Cavs: Three focus areas for Darius Garland for rest of 2019-20
By Dan Gilinsky
Focus area #2 for DG: Maintaining defensive matchup integrity
It’s not uncommon for young guards to have their share of issues on the defensive end of the floor. While Sexton is improved in terms of on-ball defense this season and is showing growth as a rotator with a more consistent presence in passing lanes to fight when stuck cross-matched, the Cavaliers are still much better off when Collin maintains defensive matchup integrity.
That’s even more so the case with Garland, who like Sexton, is only 6-foot-1. The rook needs to get stronger this offseason, though, much like Sexton did this previous summer.
It’s not as if Garland’s effort hasn’t been there on D, but he’s objectively had his issues getting through both on and off-ball screens, and given the Cavs’ lack of rim protection, that’s led to even more breakdowns frequently.
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On a positive note, Garland has been a solid helper to opposing drivers, and that’s led to a decent 0.8 steals per game for him this year, per Basketball Reference. Again, though, if DG can be more sound in terms of his position and at least maintain matchup integrity more the rest of this season, that’d be a sign of growth on defense for him.
Lets also not act as if the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the league’s second-worst defensive rating, according to NBA.com, are loaded with plus/impact defenders around Garland, either, however.
Now on to the first focus area, or arguably the first focus area, for Garland for the rest of his rookie campaign.