Why Garland will end up as the best Cavs guard of all time

Final Thoughts on the Cavs’ greatest guard

Can Darius Garland be the best guard in Cavs history?

It is absolutely a legit possibility. Garland turned into an All-Star last year and is on pace to make his second All-Star appearance this year. Garland has been a little off the last few games, but he’s still averaging career-best numbers. Simply put the Cavs have two guys not only playing at an All-Star level but at an All-NBA-caliber level.

This is deeper than what some of the raw stats might say, as sometimes stats don’t always tell the entire story.  Mitchell has hit more 3s, but Garland is the more dangerous and more natural shooter. Garland just spaces the court so much and makes it a bit easier to operate. When you watch Garland he has such an elite handle, he’s an elite top-notch shot creator and shot maker and obviously, he has elite-level playmaking/passing and vision as well.

There would be a time in his career if DG wasn’t hitting his shot from outside he just wouldn’t score. At this point, he’s able to get to the free-throw line or find other ways to score and impact the game.

Sometimes people forget just how incredibly young the Cavs are, and specifically how young DG is. Garland is still only 22 years old and nowhere near his prime yet. The next step for Garland is becoming a better finisher. Garland was a good finisher last year but if he takes the next step in that area he will truly become a tier-1 superstar offensive player. You combine that with his elite handle, playmaking, passing vision and shot creation / shot-making, and it all equals up to a monstrous ceiling for Garland.

It’s not out of the question that Garland and Mitchell could end up going down as the two best guards in Cavs history. If Garland is able to take the next step in terms of finishing at the rim than he has a higher ceiling than even someone as electrifying as Mitchell. Kyrie is probably the best guard in Cavs history right now, but there is no question that Garland can eventually pass him. Garland can have the longevity argument, but he can also get to the level of Kyrie’s peak.

Kyrie is one of the best finishers at the rim that we have ever seen at the point guard position, and his handle is elite too. Although Garland’s handles aren’t quite as good they’re Kyrie-esque. Garland elevates his teammates more, although Kyrie in fairness came to a terrible Cavs team. As both transitioned to a more talented team Garland has taken more of a step to involving and elevating the players around him.

Garland elevates guys more, is more of a floor general and on top of that is a better pure shooter, which is why when all is said and done he will go down as the greatest guard in the history of the Cavs franchise.