Did ESPN get it right where they slotted 3 Cavs in their top 25 under 25?

Why Garland should’ve been ranked higher, too

For Garland he was the highest ranked of the Cavs, and I probably would’ve ranked him higher as well. The biggest knock on Garland is the lack of a track record, which is why you’ll see a LaMelo Ball ahead of him. Some other notables ahead of him are Bam Adebayo (8th) and Cade (6th) and again Melo at #5. To reiterate, Garland’s track record hurts him being ranked against the best of the best. Garland was good a year ago, but quite frankly, he has taken two leaps this year.

For the year Garland averaged 21.7 points, 8.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals, while shooting 38.3 from beyond the arc and 46.2 from the field overall. Garland carried the team for much of the season, and as the injuries mounted, he continued to elevate his play post-All-Star break, as he averaged 24.8 points and 10 assists then.

Garland was good in his second season, and going back to his draft days, everyone always knew he had a ton of upside, but I’m not sure everyone saw him becoming an All-Star this year, and one of the better players and point guards in the NBA in just one season. Everyone knew Garland was a great shooter and while he has shown a lot of potential as a passer/playmaker the year before, he leveled up quite a bit in Year 3, becoming Trae Young-like in that area of his game.

Garland made major strides as a driver and finisher from last year, as his floater game, much like Trae, has become a major weapon that’s hard to defend. Garland is a major threat to score from anywhere on the court. And one of Garland’s weaknesses that you wanted to see improve even early in his season was his ability to get to the line.

Now, injuries had some to do with it for others, but we did still see Garland have an uptick in that area, and he took a step forward as a driver in Year 3. Post All-Star break, Garland was able to get to the free throw line 6.1 times a game.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of Garland’s development has been his defense, though. Yes Garland averaged 1.3 steals per game for the year and that number went up to 1.6 post-All-Star break, but Garland overall made real strides as a defender this year, and his feel off-ball greatly improved. I didn’t see that coming.

He went from somebody that was a big liability from that side of the ball to being actually decent defensively. All in all, I believe Garland will only continue to get better. He’s known for being one of the best shooters in basketball, but he’s established himself as one of the top tier/elite passers, while he made significant strides as a finisher and defender.

Garland and Mobley/Allen are the reasons why the Cavs future is so incredibly bright going forward. I believe the Cavaliers have two emerging franchise superstars in Garland and Mobley, whereas Allen is a borderline-All-Star tier-type of player, going forward. And especially in the case of Garland and Mobley, I expect them to move up even higher on the list next year.