Cavs: Two PGs Darius Garland should be learning from

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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young reacts in-game. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

Cavs: What Garland can take from Young’s game

Right now in the NBA, it seems as if there is no one who loves the spotlight more than Trae Young. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. The Atlanta Hawks and Mavs would later go on to complete the seemingly historic trade that sent Luka Doncic to Dallas and Young to Atlanta.

Well, Young exploded this year, especially in the playoffs. Young is a great shooter, there’s no doubt about that. Even so, what fascinated me, and I think a lot of NBA fans as well, was how creative he was around the basket. For how slim Young is, he somehow has a nose for the hoop. During the playoffs he scored in all kinds of ways, including his now famous floater.

The floater had always been a go-to move for Young, but this year he took it to another level. This year, as referenced by KJG’s Dan Gilinsky, the floater was his go-to shot. 47.4 percent of all of his shots came by way of the floater, per NBA.com’s shooting data. Young had been working on the shot since he was drafted, but the hard work really paid off this year. And there’s no reason to believe Garland can’t have a go-to floater.

Garland is probably faster than Young with the ball, so the sudden stop for a floater, could be even more effective. Young’s go-to shot, also doubled as an assist half of the time. He would just throw the ball up to the rim, and Clint Capela or John Collins would throw it down.

Now with the addition of Evan Mobley, along with Jarrett Allen’s long term deal, Garland should be even more effective from mid-range, whether it be by floater or something else. Teams will hesitate to leave the basket open on a Garland drive simply because they know all DG has to do is lob it up to one side or another and Mobley or Allen will hammer it home.

Whether it be the floater, a fadeaway from the elbow like Chris Paul, or even backing someone down like Ben Simmons, Garland has to develop a go-to shot in the paint. Trae Young’s floater in the 2021 NBA Playoffs played a massive role in the Hawks advancing as far as they did. Also, like I said the addition of Mobley will mean the rim will either be open for Garland, or take the ball and leave Mobley open from 10-feet.

The point guard has seemingly become one of the most important positions in sports. Garland’s offensive ceiling is sky high, so if he can pick it up on the defensive end, he could be special.