Jaylen Brown offers Cavaliers hope ahead of a potentially polarizing decision

Cleveland Cavaliers fans aren't going to stop pushing for a Darius Garland-Donovan Mitchell breakup until the Cavs start dominating again. With the 20-17 Cavaliers playing rather soft this year, it doesn't feel like dominance is around the corner.

Trading Garland and keeping the superior player in Mitchell seems like the obvious move for Cleveland. However, The Ringer's Bill Simmons did make an interesting counterpoint recently: The Cavs would get a whole lot more for Spida in a trade.

If Cleveland did go that route, they'd be relying on Garland to become its primary scorer. Luckily, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has been providing a perfect template for Garland to follow in that regard.

Cavaliers could survive Donovan Mitchell trade if Darius Garland evolves like Jaylen Brown

Most people thought the Celtics would sink into lottery waters without Jayson Tatum this season. Brown had other ideas. While guys like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard deserve a ton of credit for keeping the Tatum-less Celtics a contender, it's been Brown's MVP-level play that's made the biggest difference for Boston.

Brown has completely leveled up in his 10th NBA season. He is averaging 29.6 points per game, which blows his previous career-best 26.6 mark out of the water.

The thing is, Jaylen has increased his scoring while also improving his playmaking. His 4.9 assists per game are also a career-high. Brown has upped his offensive production without taking away opportunities from White, Pritchard, and others.

If the Cavs decided to surprisingly trade Mitchell for an absolute haul of a return, they'd need Garland to take a Brown-esque leap.

The 2021-22 season remains Garland's most productive in terms of points per game (21.7) and assists per game (8.6). He'd need to match those figures -- and then some -- to keep Cleveland afloat.

In a weak East, Cleveland could survive a Mitchell trade, especially since Garland would still be surrounded by a very competent roster featuring Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, a solid corps of role players, plus whatever riches Cleveland secured in the theoretical deal.

If Mitchell landed elsewhere, everyone would expect the Cavs to drop off. Sound familiar? It certainly does to Celtics fans.

One key difference between Garland and Brown, however, is defense. Brown is one of the game's best two-way players, another fact that hasn't changed despite him taking on a heavier offensive load this year. Garland can be a liability defensively due to his size, but that's where Mobley and Allen's rim protecting serves as a helpful antidote.

Keeping Mitchell over Garland is still the smart move for Cleveland if a breakup had to happen. But in the event of the opposite coming true, the Cavs wouldn't be in any kind of crisis.