The Cavs are playing old school basketball with a new school PG

Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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Cleveland Cavaliers big Evan Mobley greets teammates before a game. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

When LeBron James was drafted number one overall by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft, the NBA was at a turning point in its history. Over the years, most successful NBA teams had at least one, if not two, big men that were a major part of the team. I mean, Tim Duncan won the NBA’s MVP Award in 2002-2003. But, if you look back on that time, and check out some of the box scores,  the stats were very telling.

Tracy McGrady, a shooting guard/small forward, led the league in points per game with 32.1 while playing for the Orlando Magic. The overall points leader that year? Shooting guard Kobe Bryant, who scored nearly 2,500 points that season alone. Still though, the All-NBA First Team only included McGrady and Bryant, with three other big men in Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal, and obviously Duncan. In the years that followed, guard play started to take over the league.

By 2006, the All-NBA First Team now included three guards, or two guards and a small forward, which is a stark difference from 2003.

In the present day, big men seem to be a thing of the past, with the exception of Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Trae Young took over last year’s playoffs with his dazzling performances, and the Phoenix Suns made the NBA Finals behind point guard Chris Paul and shooting guard Devin Booker. To cut to the chase, the NBA is now dominated by guards and wings who can shoot, which made what the Cavaliers did this offseason so intriguing.

They signed center Jarrett Allen to an extension, dealt for Lauri Markkanen via sign-and-trade, and even selected big man Evan Mobley in the draft. From the outside the Cavs looked like they were going in a different direction than nearly every team in the league. However, even with how great Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Kevin Love have been this season, and they’ve been incredible, the engine behind the Cavaliers machine is none other than point guard Darius Garland, who stands a measly 6-foot-1.

The Cavs are successfully playing old school basketball, with an emphasis on defense and points in the paint, while their 22-year-old point guard patiently waits for the right moment or situation, to hit a deep three, or drive and dish to one of the big men I mentioned.

Yes, the new “tall” look for the Cavaliers has been successful and has made rookie Evan Mobley a near-lock for Rookie of the Year, but the guy quietly pulling the reigns is DG.