6 best moves the Cavaliers made during Koby Altman era
No. 1: Drafting Darius Garland in 2019
Heading into the 2019 NBA Draft, the one position the Cavaliers supposedly had locked down was point guard. Collin Sexton had a strong rookie season after he went No. 8 overall in 2018, and presumably, the Cavs would use their No. 5 pick to build around Sexton.
Instead, the team recognized that a team in their situation should be drafting for the best player available, not for fit. That led them to select Darius Garland with the fifth pick instead of going with a complementary player to Sexton. Given that the next players chosen were Jarrett Culver, Coby White, Jaxson Hayes, Rui Hachimura and Cam Reddish, the Cavs look like major winners from the 2019 draft.
The front office had the courage to draft over Sexton, taking a player in Garland that they saw as a future star. They were absolutely right, as Garland is better than Sexton and took the reigns from him a year ago. Garland also boasts the skillset to play alongside another star, which made the fit with Sexton initially possible and has allowed him to thrive with Donovan Mitchell.
Next. One free agent target for Cavaliers from each remaining playoff team. dark
Darius Garland made the All-Star team last season and was a strong candidate again this year. The future is bright for DG, and the combination of his development and how close the front office was to disaster in taking another player cements him as the best move Koby Altman has made.