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Ranking all Cavs on chances of being an All-Star next year

By Josh Cornelissen

CLEVELAND, OHIO - FEBRUARY 18: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Isaac Okoro #35 of the Cleveland Cavaliers pose for a photo with their medals after winning the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 18, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - FEBRUARY 18: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Isaac Okoro #35 of the Cleveland Cavaliers pose for a photo with their medals after winning the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 18, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images /

Ranking all Cavs on chances of being an All-Star: Darius Garland

All-Star Chances: 90%

At the end of his second season Darius Garland put together an exciting stretch of basketball, and last season began with plenty of “Most Improved” buzz around the young point guard. He took that buzz and amplified it tenfold by becoming not just a fun up-and-comer but a dynamic, high-level point guard who carried an offense with his shooting, scoring and passing.

Remember that the All-Star Game voting happens well before the All-Star Break, so for a player to go from off the All-Star radar to the roster itself takes an incredibly strong start to the season. Add in that Garland got off to a slow start, missing a few games early and ceding significant touches to Collin Sexton, and his rise to the All-Star Game happened furiously and confidently.

Garland kept up that star-level play the entire season, even as the rest of the team missed time around him. His (well-deserved) role as the primary hub of the offense will boost his scoring and assist numbers into the realms needed to be a strong All-Star candidate, and the Cavs project to be at least decent enough to put Garland firmly into the conversation.

If the Cavs do stumble out of the gate, or Garland has a cold-shooting stretch early on, he might lose out to strong seasons from players such as LaMelo Ball, Fred VanVleet or a newcomer like Cade Cunningham or Tyrese Haliburton. An extended injury absence could obviously knock Garland or any player out of the running. Yet given Garland’s level of play last season, he seems very close to a lock to make the All-Star Game this year.