Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland has been impressive all season, earning his first All-Star appearance in Cleveland in February. That success has not stopped the third-year guard from taking his game to another level…
Similar to his jump before and after the 2020-21 All-Star break, Garland has raised most of his stats across the board after making his appearance. Prior to the All-Star break, Garland had been averaging 20.3 points, 8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Since? He’s elevated those averages up to a whopping 26.1 points, 10.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest.
So what’s been the biggest change? According to Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, it’s all about confidence.
“It's what you see in this league when guys start to believe in themselves at a higher level,” Bickerstaff said of Garland following the team’s 113-109 win over the Detroit Pistons. “It's interesting how it starts a lot of time with USA Basketball, right? Guys are there and they're playing with the best of the best, and they see that they belong with the best of the best.”
“Then, the season happens. He's an all-star, right? Now he sees himself with that group and his peers recognize him in that elite group. It's the competence and belief in self. Obviously, he's got the skill and the talent, but like that belief itself is huge for guys.”
That confidence is evident on the court seeing him not only have more confidence in his shot, shooting two more attempts per game compared to his first two seasons but also in his passing and as a leader.
“He's made for this, he's built for it,” Cavaliers veteran Kevin Love said of Garland. “He has a confidence about him that has allowed him to step into a leadership role right away. And he's made a big leap this year.”
“It's something that, seeing his work behind the scenes and actually being able to work with him and coach JJ [Outlaw], it's been amazing to see. Just his confidence and his decision making and how the game has slowed down for him. But [there are] even more levels to this, I think he's just going to continue to grow. He hasn’t even scratched the surface of really how good he can be. [He has] star written all over him, and I know he's [going to] get there because the type of person he is.”
With Garland just 22 years old and already exceeding what were already lofty expectations coming into the season, the future looks even brighter for the young Cavaliers floor general.
