3 things the 2023-24 Cleveland Cavaliers should be thankful for

The Cleveland Cavaliers did not head into the Thanksgiving holiday on the highest of notes, as they were dominated at home by the Miami Heat 129-96. Given the fact that they were coming off a huge overtime win against the Philadelphia 76ers the night before, and Donovan Mitchell missed another game with a hamstring strain, the odds were stacked against the Wine and Gold. They must have had visions of turkey blinding them from actually playing basketball against the Heat.

Overall, however, they seem to be on the right track, as they have won four of their last five games after a 4-6 start. The Cavs have a lot going for them through 15 games of the NBA season. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are three things the Cavs should be thankful for.

1. The return of DG the PG

To start the year, it felt like it was Donovan Mitchell or nothing as in regard to shot creation, as a certain Cavs point guard seemed to think playing well was optional. Darius Garland had a tough time finding a rhythm to start the season. He was battling a hamstring injury, and the turnover bug, as he had three games of six or more giveaways. He also started the season shooting two-of-15 from three-point range in his first four appearances. Forget about an All-Star, Garland was looking like an NBA rookie to start the year.

Fortunately, he has rounded back into form. In his last four games, Garland is averaging 25 points and five assists, while shooting 52 percent from the field, and 43 percent from three-point range. He is putting up the All-Star-esque numbers that we have seen for the past couple of seasons. He was a huge reason why the Cavaliers were able to throttle the Denver Nuggets, and go on the road to Philly, and beat the Sixers in the In-Season Tournament without Mitchell, Caris LeVert, or Isaac Okoro. Garland put up a masterful 32 points, and made pivotal plays down the stretch.

I have said many times before that an aggressive Garland is a dangerous one. When he is playing at this high a level alongside Mitchell, the Cavs are that much more dangerous. Garland has to realize that at the end of the day, he is the engine that makes this offense go. When it comes to movement, attacking off the dribble, and creating for others, Garland is the orchestrator. He needs to keep this up when Mitchell returns from injury.