Darius Garland is 3rd Cavs player to hit 3K+ points, 1K+ assists before 23

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been in a tough spot, given how injuries have largely derailed their season, as Jarrett Allen has been out for most of this month (finger fracture), and Evan Mobley is now sidelined at least two more games with an ankle sprain. Dean Wade is sidelined the rest of the season because of a partially torn meniscus, and overall, it’s been difficult for the Cavaliers to find ways to get stretches of wins post-All-Star break.

That’s with the likes of Caris LeVert being sidelined for the first nine games post-All-Star, and Cleveland has been without Rajon Rondo (ankle sprain) for an extended period. The Cavaliers have dropped to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, and look to likely need to be in the postseason via the play-in tournament, which wouldn’t be easy.

Now, the Cavs are still typically finding ways to stay competitive games, but at the moment, things are rough for them to string four solid quarters together.

Granted, there have been some positives for the Wine and Gold, though, such as the play of Lauri Markkanen, Lamar Stevens making an impact with more opportunities, and of course, Darius Garland has still been outstanding. On the season, Garland has had 21.6 points and 8.7 assists per game, and in the month of March, he’s had 25.7 points and 10.9 assists per contest, over a 15-game span.

Taking into account his bounce-back campaign last year, and his All-Star season in Year 3, even with the difficult stretch for Cleveland this month, Garland did still become just the third Cav ever to have 3000 points and 1000 assists with the team before the age of 23, as highlighted by Bally Sports Cleveland on Twitter.

Garland is proving to be a special, and still very young player for the Cavs, and he’s just getting started.

Garland was rightfully chosen to represent the hometown Cavs with Team LeBron in the 2022 All-Star Game, and in my opinion, that first nod could be the first of many to come for the young lead guard.

After taking a noticeable step forward last season in Year 2 with 17.4 points and 6.1 assists per contest, and hitting 39.2 percent of his three-point attempts, Garland, was we emphasized, taken his game to new heights in Year 3.

We mentioned how Garland has been dynamite in the month of March, and as Cavs Notes alluded to, his 11 point-assist double-doubles this month are the most in a calendar month in team history. He passed Mark Price (10) in that regard, who set that mark in November 1990.

When it comes to Garland joining the likes of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as the only Cavs to reach the aforementioned 3000-point and 1000-assist mark before turning 23, that’s also all the more impressive because Garland did so also in his third season, like them. Garland’s rookie year was his age-20 season, for reference, whereas theirs were their age-19 campaigns, as an aside.

In any case, it’s apparent that based on his rapid growth from the past two seasons, and with his combination of handle, change-of-pace, shot-making, range and playmaking abilities/vision, Garland could be an All-Star for years to come.

I acknowledge that some of Garland’s increased splits in recent months have been due to injuries for the Cavaliers, but what he’s been able to do shouldn’t be glossed over. For just a 22-year-old lead guard that’s also had to deal with lower back soreness on and off, what he’s done has been nothing short of exceptional.

And for what it’s worth, while I’m not necessarily comparing Garland to James or Irving, Darius looks to be one of the next potential superstars for the Cavaliers in the near future. Rookie of the Year frontrunner Evan Mobley fits that mold, too, feasibly, especially with how he’s affected winning immensely at just 20.

It’s clear that Garland has been one of the crucial reasons for the Cavs turnaround as a group throughout this season, too, though, and even with things not turning out as one would’ve hoped, say a month ago, this team is definitely on the rise.

This milestone for DG is just another highlight from what’s been a tremendous season for him, anyway, and he’s just getting started.