The Cleveland Cavaliers have built their offense on a pair of dynamic guards, players who can break down a defense at every level. Donovan Mitchell earned All-NBA honors for his explosive play during his first season in Cleveland, but Darius Garland put together an equally impressive season.
It was Garland’s ability to adapt to a new situation that helped the Cavs soar to a 51-win season. He averaged 21.6 points, 7.8 assists and shot 41 percent from 3-point range in an impressive fourth campaign.
As the Cavaliers look to battle with the other teams in the Central Division, Garland’s play lines up with a number of other impressive point guards in the division. To measure him up to the other top PGs in the league, let’s compare all five starting point guards in the Central: who is the best?
No. 5: Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have been the worst team in the division for the past two seasons, and they appear on track to be in the mix this year as well, although they may have competition if the Chicago Bulls struggle. The Pistons’ time at the bottom has netted them some top-tier talent in the draft, including former Purdue point guard Jaden Ivey.
The future is bright for Ivey, who combines NBA athleticism and speed with a crafty offensive game. He may be fifth on this list entering his second NBA season, but his upside is to join players like Garland as a perennial All-Star candidate. For now, he is too inefficient and too abysmally terrible on defense to help a team win at a high level.