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.
No. 4: Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls
The question of who will start at point guard for the Chicago Bulls is a complicated one. Lonzo Ball would be starting but is expected to miss the entire season due to his chronic knee condition. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan will start on the wing and serve as the lead ball-handlers. Between Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmo and Jevon Carter, the Bulls have three similar defense-first off-ball point guards to choose from.
Caruso is the best of the group, so we’ll pencil him in as the starter for now. Although he is just 6’4″ tall, his combination of length and strength makes him the Bulls’ best option on any perimeter player, be that Darius Garland or Jayson Tatum. His 3-point shot oscillates from good to bad each season, and unfortunately for the Bulls, he is due for a “bad” season after shooting 36.4 percent from deep. He is one of the league’s very best backcourt defenders (our next entry is one of the exceptions) but his low usage and limited skillset depress his value.
No. 3: Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
The title of best backcourt defender has to go to Jrue Holiday, who combines on-ball defense with elite off-ball instincts and even solid help defense. Holiday can faceguard a speedy point guard on one possession, slithering over screens, and then on the next rotate to the nail to smother a drive before getting back to the perimeter to stop a jumper. He does it all.
Holiday isn’t a slouch on offense, either, scoring 19.3 points per game and tallying 7.4 assists last season. He’s proven he can play at a high level when it matters most and was Milwaukee’s second-best player during their run to the title in 2021. He is 33 years old and has some offensive weak spots that playoff opponents have exploited the past two seasons, so he just barely slips to No. 3 in our rankings, but each of the top three exists in their own tier as top-25 players in the league.
No. 2: Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
From draft-night afterthought to All-Star, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers is a budding star who is taking the league by storm. In just his third season he averaged 20.7 points and 10.4 assists per game; how about 1.6 steals and 40 percent from 3-point range for good measure?
Haliburton fell to the 12th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft because of defensive concerns and a question about whether his abnormal shooting form would translate. His defense hasn’t been anything to write home about outside of the steals, but his shooting has been just as crisp as it was in college; he’s hit 40 percent or better in each of his three seasons.
The Indiana Pacers love to play with…err, pace, and Haliburton is the perfect floor general to make that vision a reality. He excels in the open court, and his passing is both brazen and accurate. He makes the players around him better, and he projects to only keep improving.
Why is Haliburton not first? It has nothing to do with this being a Cleveland Cavaliers site; rather, his combination of injury history and less diverse scoring package serve as a tiebreaker with Darius Garland. When an opposing defense slows it down and forces Haliburton to break down a defense in the halfcourt, his options at this point in his career aren’t as diverse. Otherwise, both players look like they will be perennial All-Stars.
No. 1: Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
Darius Garland lands at No. 1 on our list, and not because of fan service; he was genuinely just as good as Tyrese Haliburton last season, and stayed slightly healthier. Lost somewhat in the addition of Donovan Mitchell was that Garland was every bit as impressive last season as he was in his All-Star season in 2021-22.
Garland is an elite shooter, not simply from deep but inside the arc as well, with a crafty finishing game and a lethal floater. That diverse scoring portfolio forces defenders to play him for the shot, which is a mistake as he is one of the league’s best passers. He loves to drive into the paint and force the defense to make a decision: step up, and he hits Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley for a layup; stay back, and he lofts in a soft floater.
If Donovan Mitchell didn’t join the Cavaliers last season, Garland’s numbers would likely have matched Tyrese Haliburton’s. That isn’t meant to be a ridiculous “what if” as Garland dropped a 50-burger on Minnesota in a game that Mitchell missed. He took a step forward a year ago, and sharing the load with a player like Mitchell requires a reduction in shot volume.
This list should communicate how bright the future of the point guard position is in the Central Division, and around the league. The Cleveland Cavaliers have an absolute stud on their hands in Darius Garland, and he should lead them to a lot of success over the next few seasons and beyond.