Cavs: 3 bold predictions for Darius Garland’s 2021-22 season

Bold prediction #2: Garland averages 8 assists per game in 2021-22

Garland finished his sophomore year with the Cavs putting up an average of 6.1 assists per game. A significant jump from his 3.9 assists per game during his debut year as a rookie out of Vanderbilt.

Throughout the season last year, one of the most common takes throughout Cavaliers discourse was the notion that Garland was going to be the future go-to playmaker for this team. Well, the future is now. Garland ranked number one among his teammates last year in assists per game, and in my mind he will continue to build upon that.

Cleveland’s offseason was fairly productive for them, all things considered. Looking at some of the guys that will be playing alongside Garland this year, it is not difficult to comprehend the third year point guard averaging a robust 8 assists per game.

We just talked about him previously, but Rubio is one of the guys to watch out for when it comes to Garland sharpening his proverbial playmaking blade. In his 2016-17 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rubio put out an average of 9.1 assists per game, the best in his career. Just last year he averaged 6.4 assists per game.

While the numbers have diminished, Rubio is still no slouch when it comes to facilitating for his teammates, and as was noted by Dammarell, it’s clear that Garland will look to absorb and learn as much as he can from Rubio. He is ready to take that next step, and with a veteran like Ricky on the team, Garland certainly has a reliable mentor.

Another new face donning the Wine and Gold this year is former Chicago Bull, Lauri Markkanen. One of the most enticing features of Markkanen’s game has to be his shooting capabilities. Last year Markkanen shot 48.0 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from the three-point line.

When asked what kind of role he envisioned for Markkanen, Garland recently told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype in an episode of “The HoopsHype Podcast” that ‘I want Lauri to shoot it every time I pass him the ball.”‘

Garland has confidence in Markkanen, and he trusts he will build upon his scoring consistency. Garland needs to utilize the scoring talents of Markkanen to expand his playmaking skills, and he will often I’d imagine.

A big man that can shoot the ball is always welcome in the NBA. That being said, Evan Mobley is another key component to Garland’s success as a playmaker.

Mobley finished his collegiate career with the Trojans averaging 16.4 points per game, shooting at 57.8 percent overall, with him shooting 30.0 percent from three. In his appearance during the Summer League games, we caught glimpses of Mobley’s scoring abilities. Given his 7 foot-4 wingspan and handle/touch, the Cavaliers rookie should be able to give himself opportunities to score on opponents.

Garland’s assists numbers continue to trend positively with the likes of Lauri and Mobley on the court, too.

With other guys such as Markkanen and Mobley in the fold, Garland is going to have a field day as a playmaker, and those players have varying off-ball talents. If the Cavaliers can find a way to make the various lineups click, Garland’s assists average will continue to increase.

This brings us to the final bold prediction for Garland’s upcoming season. Let’s finish up by discussing some potential hardware in Garland’s future.