This season has been one where Donovan Mitchell has been as advertised, and then some, for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He’s posted career-highs in points per game (28.3) and three-point shooting percentage (39.6) following his trade acquisition from the Utah Jazz in the past offseason, and Mitchell is set to be pencilled in as an All-Star starter for the first time. Ironically, that will likely be in Utah, following him being an All-Star for the last three seasons before this one.
Mitchell has given the Cavs offense another gear with his superstar-level scoring abilities, driving and pull-up deep shooting, and his playmaking has been a big help, too. There still seemingly are some things Cleveland has to iron out with his outlook, but by and large, the results have been probably even better from him than one could’ve anticipated coming into the 2022-23 campaign.
That said, it has been tougher for the Cavaliers when Mitchell has missed time, and recently, he’s missed three of the last four contests because of a groin injury. He also reportedly did not participate in Cleveland’s last practice on Wednesday prior to their road game at the Houston Rockets, and is currently questionable for that one. Groin soreness appears to be the culprit.
The Cavs haven’t been the same team without Mitchell involved, clearly, but even with that being the case, one still shouldn’t discount what Darius Garland has been doing lately, whether or not Mitchell has been in action.
Mitchell being banged up recently hurts, but it doesn’t diminish what Garland has been doing for the Cavs.
With what Mitchell has done often receiving the headlines, it’s seemed as if Garland’s play has gone a bit under the radar, whether that’s locally or nationally. This is not to suggest he’s been underrated, necessarily, considering his second season growth, his rise last season and Garland’s skill set.
Nevertheless, his production recently, independent of Mitchell’s status either in games or not, shouldn’t go unnoticed. In Garland’s last 10 games following a three-game absence, he’s averaged 22.7 points, 8.5 assists, and has connected on 37.1 percent of his three-point attempts.
Also, in of Garland’s last 10 games, he’s tallied four games of 20-plus points and 10-plus assists in that span, and despite some head-scratching close losses down the stretch in these past few weeks, Garland has had a plus-minus of plus-8.0. His assist-to-turnover ratio has been 3.4 then, too, for what it’s worth.
His off-the-bounce scoring, pick-and-roll play, vision and range have all been impressive throughout games for the Cavaliers, and his playmaking has generated plenty of quality looks for players such as Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and others. The Cavs as a team haven’t been cashing in from deep as much as one would like when open, but it’s not due to Garland’s lack of trying or his passes being off.
Of course, the Cavs have to do a better job of closing out close games, and Garland himself does need to clean some things up in said instances, as do others. He, nor the team, nor J.B. Bickerstaff, should be obsolved of criticism in that regard. Nobody is giving the Cavs a pass for losing to the Golden State Warriors bench last Friday, and in the same breath, the Cavs’ offensive struggles at the New York Knicks on Tuesday were difficult to rationalize.
However, what Garland has been able to do in this recent stretch of games shouldn’t be glossed over, again, whether or not Mitchell has been in the lineup, which could affect splits. Sure, the Cavaliers have some things to iron out, and on the season, are 9-15 on the road. They hopefully can be successful on this Thursday-Friday back-to-back at the Houston Rockets and then Oklahoma City Thunder, too.
But, while it might be difficult for Garland to be an All-Star this go-round, he’s been playing great basketball lately. And though there’s been some struggles for him this season with injuries or bumps in the road, the newly-turned 23-year-old looks to be fully himself now.
If the Cavs can perhaps swing a trade to improve their shooting efforts, and be on the same page more in key situations, they should be just fine as they’re getting much, much healthier as an overall group.