Cavs: 3 reasons Darius Garland is guaranteed to have a breakout season

#1: Assist anyone?

Sharing the ball in basketball is very important to winning games. Usually, when a team like the Cavs had upwards of 20 assists a game they won. Garland, in his rookie year averaged 3.9 assists. Last season it went up to 6.1 assists. A very nice leap.

For comparison sake, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lilliard, who’s entering his tenth season in the league, has a 6.6 assists average. The last two seasons Lilliard got his assists average up to 7.5 and 8. While Garland’s points per game were just over 17 points a game, and not close yet, to let’s say, Sexton’s or Lilliard’s points per game average, that assists mark should continue to rise this next year.

Adding a newly-drafted big in Evan Mobley and working together with other post/rolling presence Jarrett Allen should give Garland more opportunity at increasing that assists stat.

There are many that are expecting Garland to increase his points per game totals this next year,  and while that should happen just because Garland is getting better at shooting especially the three-pointers, I wouldn’t promise you a 24 points per game average yet by seasons’ end.

I’d say getting Garland to like 20-21 points a night is much more realistic, considering players such as Cavs wing Isaac Okoro and the newly-drafted Mobley will expect touches and points.