To me, in the event Collin Sexton is healthy, both he or Darius Garland can be viable options for the Cleveland Cavaliers in closing stretches of games, and if one or the other has it rolling, could be in last possession scenarios.
Sexton did not fare well in a last possession type of situation in a win at the Toronto Raptors, and on back-to-back possessions, nearly turned it over. Sexton did win a jump ball for Cleveland in that one, which was key, but Garland was the player in that situation last Friday that drew a shooting foul and hit two clutch free throws. Cleveland would then go on to win, in unlikely fashion, at Toronto.
Nonetheless, Cleveland will now be without Sexton because of a meniscus tear in his left knee, and he’ll be out for an extended period.
And while Sexton was adjusting to a role that was much more off-ball driven, him being out for an extended period, seemingly, is a crushing blow, given the constant threat he is offensively. Defensively and as a secondary playmaker he had been making continued strides too, which shouldn’t be discounted, either.
That said, in this time to come without Sexton involved, I do believe that Garland could and should have his share of opportunities to prove he can be Cleveland’s best option for closing situations, or at least cement himself as a legitimate closing option.
Cavs: Garland will have ample chances to prove he’s Cleveland’s go-to closer.
We’ve seen Sexton make things happen as a closer last season, and perhaps in that Wizards game, he could’ve gotten the job done in that regard down the stretch.
With Sexton out indefinitely, though, with both his on and off-ball abilities in mind, Garland is Cleveland’s best option in the interim for last possession scenarios, or feasibly when it’s needed, their go-to guy in the last few minutes. That’s if there’s situations where the Cavs just need a guy to make a play to get their own offensively, so to speak.
As a side note, Ricky Rubio did make some nice plays again in the fourth quarter in the Wizards game, and he went nuclear at the New York Knicks on Sunday, with a career-best 37 points and 10 assists. On the season, he’s far exceeded expectations as a shooter, too, and I applaud him for that.
But in fairness, Rubio’s shooting will be streaky, and in late-game situations, I’m not sure that him taking key shots in the last few minutes is necessarily great offense for the Cavs. He has started off incredibly well as a scorer; it’s just unrealistic to have that be the norm in late-game situations. So to me, Garland might have to step up as that guy with Collin out for Cleveland.
Granted, I know that DG is going to be looking to make plays for his teammates regardless of the circumstances, and with his passing feel, timing and vision, that’s just fine. In some instances, however, this Cavs team, especially sans Sexton, will at times need to be shot hunting down the stretch, and in last possession situations with games on the line, Cleveland needs him to be aggressive.
So, no, that shot from deep didn’t go on Wednesday against the Wiz, but Garland got it done in Toronto, and with his skill set, and also ability to shoot from range off movement, he’ll have ample chances to prove he could potentially be a go-to closing option.
And if that means at times he dishes to Sexton for an off-ball look, if/when he’s back if doubles come, then so be it.
Either way, now is the time for DG to prove he could potentially be that dude for the Cavs. Circling back though, generally speaking, at the moment, I do believe both he and Sexton could be that 1/1A player for the Wine and Gold when push comes to shove.
Nobody’s perfect in those last possession situations, but DG will bounce back.