Looking onward, there’s plenty to be bullish on in relation to Darius Garland‘s outlook for the Cleveland Cavaliers. No, his rookie year was not what one would’ve hoped for, and it was fairly underwhelming, because of a variety of factors.
In Year 2 though, the real DG stood up, if you will. He had 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per contest, and we saw him come into his own.
Considering that, it was understandable that Garland ended up being extended an invite to play against/train with Team USA with the squad’s Select Team during this week in Las Vegas, and I’m sure it was invaluable for him.
Garland being able to seemingly pick the brain of the likes of say, Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine has had to have been great for him, some in drills, for one. And being able to play against Team USA and getting more live reps in the offseason is a plus for a young guy.
That said, while it wasn’t a huge deal, per se, it was a bit unfortunate that Garland reportedly did suffer a “very minor knee-to-knee thing,” in his first day with the Select squad that limited him somewhat then, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. On the plus side, Fedor reported that Garland is more than fine, and has “been full go since and has looked really good in scrimmages,” which is cool to know.
#Cavs Darius Garland had a very minor knee-to-knee thing his first day with USA Select Team that kept him out of some of the stuff on Day One, a source tells @clevelanddotcom. But he’s been full go since and has looked really good in scrimmages, I’m told.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) July 9, 2021
Along with that, Garland was reportedly promoted to join Team USA for upcoming exhibition games, and he could feasibly get some solid playing time with them in those, as KJG’s Tyler Shelt alluded to.
Fedor did state in a report that Garland changed his mind after initially declining to play, and for him to get some more live reps, that’s a big deal for the youngster.
As we alluded to though, it’s good to know as a Cavs fan that Garland shined in these scrimmages.
One would think there was maybe a collective gasp from Garland’s Cavs teammate, Kevin Love, a member of the Team USA squad set to play in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo later this month, and others, but Garland’s reportedly fine.
And him looking “really good,” per Fedor’s report, in scrimmaging for the USA Select Team against Team USA is very encouraging, both regarding that minor knee-to-knee occurrence and just generally, in relation to his game.
Garland had a quasi-breakout year for the Cavaliers in Year 2, and it seems safe to say that he’s coming. Now, one has to read into the report from Fedor with a grain of salt, in fairness, as I’m not entirely sure what exactly the intensity level was in these scrimmages.
One doesn’t want injuries to potentially happen, as we know. But the Olympic squad, one would assume, with how star-studded it is, was needing to establish a rhythm playing together. And the scrimmaging portion was not just some open run for Garland and USA Select Team guys such as Tyler Herro and Saddiq Bey.
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In any case, it’s again reassuring that Garland would end up being just fine and there wasn’t much of an injury that happened and him making his presence felt seemingly in a big way in some scrimmaging against Team USA is telling.
Now, admittedly, this sort of report about even that “very minor” knee-to-knee occurrence does make it clear that Cleveland should very well look into adding a veteran backup point guard this offseason in free agency.
The likes of suggested potential targets in that realm in T.J. McConnell and Alex Caruso would be sensible to help ease the burden on Garland for the Cavs, with how he did have some injury absences for two stretches really, last season. That’s even more so in McConnell’s case.
And the likes of Patty Mills or perhaps maybe lower cost options in Brad Wanamaker or Frank Ntilikina (in the event he becomes unrestricted) could help preserve Garland some, although the first three mentioned would be more viable. That’s with at least some of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, expected to be roughly $10 million.
Anyway, the key from the report was how Garland has shined in those scrimmages for the USA Select Team in those scrimmages that played out this week, and as a Cavs fan, that’s awesome to hear, along with the exhibition invite news.
I’m excited to see what’s in store for DG next season.