The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a strong start this year, compiling a 15-9 record that is good enough for third in the East. After a year in which they went 44-38 and lost in the Play-In Tournament, the trade of Donovan Mitchell has made the Cavs more dangerous and more dynamic. The Cavs pass the eye test, but many of the stats back it up as well.
The Cavs for most of last year were one of the league’s best defensive teams, but according to nba.com’s advanced stats, the Cavs are second in defensive rating, seventh in offense and have the third-highest net rating.
As we sit here today, the trade looks like more of a homerun than it does when the Cavs made it. Markkanen is having a really strong season in Utah, while Sexton is a rotation piece type player and the hope is Ochai Agbaji becomes a reliable rotation player. Even so, you give that up every day for a player of Mitchell’s caliber. Those guys just don’t equal the player Mitchell is.
Even since the trade Mitchell is better than expected and has been an MVP candidate early on in the season. The Cavs did give up five picks, but two of those picks are just swaps and the Cavs will likely keep those picks, and there is a strong likelihood the rest are in the 25-30 range. Picks at that range are less than a 50/50 chance to make an impact on the team. The trade at this point is an A+ homerun trade.
The Cavs have had some good All-star guards and some great ones really stick out, but when all is said and done could Darius Garland be the best ever?
Yes, Mitchell has become an early MVP candidate, and Mobley has continued to show why he likely has the most potential of anyone on the team long-term, but it can’t go without saying another big reason for the Cavs’ success and why they’re so dynamic is that point guard Darius Garland has taken his game to another level.
In fact, the way Garland has played this season shows that he has an excellent chance to go down as the best guard in Cavaliers’ franchise history.
Garland’s play thus far for the Cavs
It sounds strange to say that Garland has taken his game to another level when you can say he had his leap year last year and put it all together, making his first All-Star game. Last year Garland Garland averaged 21.7 points, 8.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from 3-point range.
You can say the Cavs’ rebuild started to shift with the selection of Garland at No. 5 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. If the Cavs don’t take Garland at five, perhaps taking Jarrett Culver, Coby White or Jaxson Hayes (the next three picks), it completely changes the rebuild. Garland was raw coming in, but the Cavs at that point just didn’t have anyone on the roster with his long-term upside.
After a rookie year in which he struggled coming off a season-ending injury at Vanderbilt, in which he only played five games, particularly in the second half of the 19-20 season Garland took the keys of the franchise. In the second half of that season, Garland averaged 18.8 ppg and 6.3 assists, while shooting 46.2 ppg from the field, and shooting 40.4 percent from 3. You started to see some signs of a potential Garland breakout in the second half of that season.
Again, it sounds strange to say that a guy that had a leap year last year, who led the Cavs to a 44-win season and turned into a very good All-Star last year has once again leveled up again this year, but that indeed has been the case. The one area Garland needed to get better at is getting to the free-throw line more. A year ago he was getting to the free throw line 3.5 times a game compared to this year getting to the line 5.1 times a game.
Garland’s field goal percentage finishing at the rim (on shots from 8 ft or closer) is down from a year ago, 46.9 percent currently compared to a year ago when it was around 53 percent. However, Garland has been much better after a slow start to the season in that area. It’s not just stats, as the eye test when watching Garland this year shows that he’s more now than ever hitting those contested high-degree-of-difficulty layups, while his floater continues to be such a real weapon.
It appears the game has gotten slower for Garland, his confidence has grown more from even last year and things just come so much more naturally for him. He has such a good in-between game, and his level of shot creation and shot-making is truly top-notch. Mitchell has made more 3s, but Garland is the better pure shooter. Garland’s deep range is close to that of prime Damian Lillard or Steph Curry.
Competition for best Cavs guard – Mark Price
The Cavs have had their fair share of good to great guards in the history of their franchise from the likes of Ron Harper, Terrell Brandon, Austin Carr , World, B. Free, Mark Price and Kyrie Irving. I would say the biggest competition that Garland would have in becoming the best guard in Cavs history would be Irving, Price and potentially his current backcourt counterpart, Donovan Mitchell.
Let’s start with Mark Price. Mark Price in his career was a four-time All-Star and made four All-NBA teams. At his peak, Price wasn’t among the elite of the elite, but he was a star and the leader of some really good Cavs teams in the late 80s to early 90s. Mark Price is what you would call a traditional point guard. He was a floor general, as for years he was one of the best passers and playmakers in the league for years with the Cavs.
They certainly didn’t shoot the 3-ball back then anywhere near like they do today, but for his time Mark Price was viewed as a marksman from beyond the ark.
With Mark Price leading the Cavs , he helped lead them to multiple 50-win seasons in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The Price, Nance and Daughtery Cavs were also able to win a few playoff series and even made it to the Eastern Conference finals in 91-92, but unfortunately lost to the Jordan Pippen Bulls in 6 games. Like many good teams in that timeframe can argue, if it wasn’t for Michael Jordan those Cavs very well could’ve gotten a championship, while the legacies of Price and Daughtery / Nance would be a lot stronger in Cleveland.
Competition for best Cavs guard – Kyrie Irving
The next guy on this list would be the guy who currently is the best guard in Cavs history: Kyrie Irving. Kyrie came to Cleveland after Lebron James left the Cavs for the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010, drafted in 2011 No. 1 overall out of Duke. Kyrie came to a team that was in pretty bad shape after Lebron left the previous summer. They didn’t have a ton to build with and Kyrie was truly the first building block.
It’s very possible, if not likely, that when all is said and done it will be clear that Kyrie’s peak years were in Cleveland. Kyrie in his six years here was a six-time All-Star, All-NBA third-team selection ( 2015), 2011-2012 Rookie of the Year, All-Star Game MVP and an NBA champion in 2016.
At his best Kyrie is one of the better talents in NBA history. He arguably has the best handle in NBA history and as far as point guards go the league may have never seen anyone better at finishing contested layups at the rim. On top of that Kyrie was a terrific shooter as well. With his handle, shooting, and ability to stop on the dime, there was a time when Kyrie was arguably the toughest player to defend. Kyrie for his career in Cleveland averaged 23.1 points, 5.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals, all while shooting 38.7 percent from 3 and 45.7 percent overall.
As good as Kyrie was in the regular season, he elevated his play in the playoffs. In his four seasons in the playoffs in Cleveland Kyrie averaged 23.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 41.5 percent from 3 and 46.5 from the field overall.
For me what separates Kyrie is that Garland and the next guy on this list don’t have enough of a track record yet to be ranked over Kyrie’s resume in Cleveland. Some might argue Mark Price, who certainly elevated his teammates more and was a better passer/ playmaker, but Kyrie is just the better talent. Kyrie at his peak in the playoffs averaged over 25 points per game while shooting over 46 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3.
It goes well beyond the numbers, as at the time Steph Curry was the reining two-time MVP and head-to-head Kyrie just dominated Steph and was the second-best player to Lebron James. Kyrie played like a top-seven player during those two years. The level he played at in the playoffs on the biggest stage is likely why Kyrie gets the edge over Price. Since Kyrie left Cleveland he’s had his fair share of injuries and hasn’t been able to stay on the court, but there is no question his peak was in Cleveland.
Competition for best Cavs guard – Donovan Mitchell
The final guy on this list is Garland’s current backcourt teammate in Donovan Mitchell. I don’t think you can put Garland or Mitchell over Irving or even Price right now. I think Garland and Mitchell are better talents than Price, but the track record isn’t there yet to put them over either player.
Mitchell hasn’t been here that long, but in his short time he’s been just as advertised and quite frankly has leveled up. On the season Mitchell is averaging 29 points, 4.9 assists, four rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 49.6 from the field and 42.4 from 3 overall. For Mitchell ppg field goal percentage and his 3-point percentage are all career highs by a decent margin.
The Cavs knew how dynamic and how good Mitchell was when they traded for him , but he’s taken his game up a notch this year. Mitchell was already a three-time All-Star and a top 15-18 player when he got traded to Cleveland, but he’s going to make his fourth All-Star appearance, as of now would probably be an East starter, will almost certainly make his first All-NBA team this year and has turned into a legitimate MVP candidate.
He had good teams in Utah, but he never had a talent like Darius Garland next to him, nor a player with the upside of Evan Mobley. As intimidating of an interior force as Gobert can be, he does have his limitations in the playoffs. With Mitchell not having to do everything offensively all the time and not having to shoulder as much of a burden, we’ve seen Mitchell re-energized and as engaged defensively as he’s ever been.
When the Cavs traded for Mitchell, they knew it was always a possibility he could always leave in a few years. If he stays, however, he has a terrific chance to go down as a top-two guard ever in Cavs history, or even the best. With this core of players the Cavs have with Garland, Mobley and Allen, who are all young and haven’t hit their primes, plus a strong front office, it’ll be incredibly hard for Mitchell to leave a great basketball situation like this.
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.