We are in the midst of a wildly exciting NBA season and one of the biggest breakout talents is Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland.
Garland is averaging career-highs and is greatly assisting the Cavs, who currently have a 14-12 record and are surprisingly seventh in the Eastern Conference.
There are so many reasons to like Garland and so many reasons to be impressed by his skills.
He is proving that he’s not only a shining star for the Cavs but for the entire NBA as well.
3. He’s Helping The Cavs With A Winning Record
The simple truth is that no one expected the Cavaliers to be as good as they are this season.
A 14-12 record is very surprising when you consider the team is lacking a lot of big names and was seen as a rebuilding project.
There is a lot of work that still needs to be done with the Cavs (for example, they’re nearly dead last in the league when it comes to field goal attempts) but they are much, much better than nearly anyone anticipated.
Garland is a prominent part of that.
Garland has stepped up in a major way from previous seasons when he was at 15.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists a game.
Darius Garland tonight:
32 PTS
8 REB
10 AST
11-17 FG
5-6 3PHe is the third Cavs player ever with a 30/8/10 game before turning 22. The other two were LeBron and Kyrie. pic.twitter.com/7qF3vp3W4C
— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 4, 2021
This season, Garland is putting up 19.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists a game – that’s a huge increase.
Because of Garland’s incredible upgrade, the team is in a much better position than anyone could have imagined.
In other words, the Cavs just shouldn’t be this good and they are mainly because of Garland.
2. He’s Working Well With Mobley
There are actually a few stars within the Cavaliers and one of them is Rookie of the Year contender Evan Mobley.
Mobley is a young phenom and many see the future of the team resting on him.
Mobley is averaging 14 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists a game and a large part of those numbers are due to Garland.
Garland and Mobley are working very well together and becoming one of the most fearsome twosomes in all of the league.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff put it best when talking about this pair, telling cleveland.com:
“They put a threat on the floor, where it’s two sided and it’s in a lot of space. Teams can’t really pick their poison in that. Both are such good playmakers, you’ve got a tough decision to make.”
Bickerstaff isn’t wrong, these two are creating highlight plays again and again, like this one against the Detroit Pistons:
DG to Mobley…OMG 😍 pic.twitter.com/TRLfyutNA6
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) November 13, 2021
1. He’s Taking Down Big Teams
The Cavs took down the Chicago Bulls the other night in a surprising 115-92 win on the back of Garland’s 24 points, three rebounds, and five assists.
It’s not the only championship-caliber team the Cavs have conquered throughout this thrilling season.
The Cavaliers have defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat this year in surprise wins that have proven their power and determination.
In each of those games, Garland stepped up and secured double-digit points and nearly double-digit assists too, spreading the wealth around the Cavs and allowing other players to shine along with him.
Garland is a great point maker and facilitator and is improving the Cavaliers in significant ways.
Garland is working well with others and bringing the whole team closer and closer to the top of the Eastern Conference.
NEXT: Are the Cavaliers A Real Contender?