After an underwhelming rookie season because of a number of factors, Darius Garland stepped up for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Year 2.
He didn’t appear to be second guessing as he looked to be as a rookie, in which he was still reportedly not himself regarding his prior meniscus injury from college, and the shiftiness was on display.
Overall, Garland had 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per outing, and he canned 39.5 percent of his three-point attempts. Aside from four games in which he came off the bench coming back from injury, Garland as a starter had 18.2 points and 6.3 assists per game, and hit 40.6 percent of his deep balls, too.
All things considered, it was a successful season for the young lead guard. It was unfortunate that Garland ended up missing eight of Cleveland’s last nine games due to an ankle injury, but his rebound in Year 2 was encouraging.
In large part because of what he showed last season for the Cavaliers, Garland was chosen to be a member of the Team USA Select squad. As a result, Garland and the Select Team will be training with and/or participating in some scrimmaging in Las Vegas from July 6-9 against the Team USA Olympic squad that will represent our country in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Toyko.
A roster of 13 young @nba standouts & 4 veteran players with international experience make up the 2021 USA Men's Select Team that will train with #USABMNT July 6-9.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 1, 2021
As an aside, Cavs big Jarrett Allen was extended an invite to be with the Select Team too, but with his impending restricted free agency and potential injury risk, that reportedly played into him eventually choosing to pass.
Nonetheless, this will be especially meaningful for Garland, as we alluded to.
Cleveland Cavaliers: This Select Team experience should be invaluable for Garland.
Garland and the Select Team will be again training with his Cavs teammate, in Kevin Love, and Team USA in their Vegas Training Camp next week, and in that, Garland should be able to get some pointers from the likes of Damian Lillard and Devin Booker, among others.
Getting some time in scrimmaging with the Men’s Select Team against the Men’s Olympic squad will of course be big for Garland though, too.
Now, one would imagine Garland and that Select Team will have their share of struggles, obviously, in that time; that’s evident. But the exposure in relation to playing against the best and generally, being able to learn a bit from Lillard and a few other big-time guards will be great for Darius.
It’s an experience where I’m sure Garland will be a sponge with so many elite talents there. And getting some playing time with Select players such as Miles Bridges, Tyler Herro, Saddiq Bey, Immanuel Quickley perhaps and PJ Washington should be meaningful for him, on the flip side.
Among a number of talented young peers though, such as Bridges, Herro and Bey, I’m sure Garland will definitely be making his presence felt in a notable manner.
Moreover, with what Darius showcased last season for the Cavaliers, he looks to have a really bright future ahead, and this Select Team exposure is further evidence of that.