The Cavaliers have an elite offense because this player returned to All-Star form

The Cleveland Cavaliers are eating the fruits of the Darius Garland Renaissance. The 24-year-old former All-Star has been one of the NBA’s premier snipers through the start of the season and it has helped propel the Wine and a Gold to an 8-0 record (in 13 days), the second-rated league offense and to Eastern Conference playoff contention. 

“He is a true point guard,” said coach Kenny Atkinson after Monday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks in which Garland scored 39 digits. Atkinson also praised him for his 10 assists against the Bucks two nights prior. 

Darius Garland is back to All-Star form

Garland is an on and off-ball threat who can be the trigger man or the go-to option. He produces 20.5 points on 66 percent true shooting and 63.6 percent of effective field goals while receiving fewer touches than his peers. Considering guards who have played at least six games, 39 others average more touches, and 23 players log a higher time of possession. 

Noticeably, his confidence is back for attacking on the dribble as his pull-up splits are up 4.5 percent and his catch-and-shoot numbers have improved by 10.9 percent. Garland’s on-ball accuracy is a premium for the Cavaliers because Donovan Mitchell can stay in single coverage for longer with another shot-creator present. Don’t forget that only a third of Garland’s two-pointers are assisted.  

On the catch, he’s so accurate (46.7 percent) that he cannot be helped off on the perimeter. Only 25.9 percent of Garland’s deep tries come from the corner, but that’s another area he can punish rivals as it is the easiest shot in the NBA- as defenses sag off it first to bother the lane- and it is a trouble-free attempt for him as he downs 46.7 percent of looks.

In the half court, he is a screen merchant. Defending him in drop coverage is a futile gamble because the Cavaliers have good screening to pin the point-of-attack protector. His range requires the second defender to come up, but they are at risk of getting taken on a roll by the pick setter.

Additionally, he gets various teammates involved- through eight outings, he has set up five of them at least five times (Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Mitchell, Dean Wade and Georges Niang). His top two targets on offense are Allen and Mobley via pick-and-roll, hit-ahead passes and helpings out of dribble penetration. Of his 52 dimes, 44.2 percent of them have set up the big duo. 

But that’s not the only way he’s playmaking; he’s upped his screening, too. When Mobley initiates offense in the open court, Garland has set picks for easier downhill access. As soon as the screen is slipped, Garland becomes a dangerous option on the side. Conversely, the Cavaliers feeding Garland the most are Mitchell plus Wade with nine and six assists.

To boot, he takes care of the ball well. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 2.74.

On defense, Garland’s size will always be an issue against bigger ball handlers but he competes. Nonetheless, he is a contributor as a helper or passing lane thief in the NBA’s fifth-ranked defense. On top of that, the Cavaliers starting unit has the top defensive rating of all first rotations. 

To hide him, putting him on specialists or weak ball handlers is effective. For example, in the first game against the Bucks on Nov. 2, he spent most of his time defending Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince; the former was a dud that night, and the latter took one shot against him. However, in the win versus the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 30, Garland checked D’Angelo Russell, a decent guard who mostly shoots from the outside.

When interviewed by sideline reporter Serena Winters after the win in Madison Square Garden versus the Knicks on Oct. 28, Garland said he was playing aggressively and with joy.  That hasn’t changed, and he is getting stronger as the season continues. Watch out for the Cavaliers when Garland reaches mid-season form.

All stats reflect games played through Nov 5th