The Cavaliers are on the rise in the post-James era. Third-year player Darius Garland emerged as the leader of this team. The Cavaliers he led had a record of 28 wins and 19 losses, ranking fifth in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 28 per game this season. Among the 2019 rookies, Zion and Morant were shining brightly before, and now the No. 5 pick Garland is also rising fiercely. He became the new king of Cleveland. Unlike Morant, who plays hard, Garland is good at using softness to overcome toughness.
The third-year student rises to become the new leader of the Cavaliers
A team that missed the playoffs in the previous three seasons and only won 58 games in total, a team that has already won 58 games this season. 13 players have played in the starting lineup. The team, whose main players such as Sexton and Rubio have been injured for a long time, can still rank among the top eight in the division with a winning rate of close to 60%. The Cavaliers are undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights in today's NBA world. Compared with the Grizzlies and Bulls, who are also dark horses, the Cavaliers in the post-LeBron era do not have the supernova who combines ability and enjoyment like Morant, nor do they have the star veteran with a second spring like DeRozan; There are many bright spots in the lineup: center Jarrett Allen, who easily averages a double-double per game, Evan Mobley, who is expected to win the Rookie of the Season, and veteran Love, who has emerged from the shadow of mental illness. This obvious reaction The trendy "three-high" combination, under the guidance of coach J.B. Bickerstaff, has become one of the most difficult interior combinations in the league to defeat. So far this season, the Cavaliers have held their opponents to less than 100 points in 17 games and have won 14 of them.
Even with the addition of Markkanen, Mobley, Rubio and other players to the team's lineup, Garland still averages 15.9 shots per game so far this season, setting a career high. It seems that he is playing more aggressively. Of course, some people will use another statistic to refute: Garland's average number of shots per 100 possessions decreased by 0.4 (22.1 last season and 21.7 this season). But if you have watched the Cavaliers game, everyone must admit that Garland's shots are more determined, no matter when the score is behind or at critical moments, he does not hesitate.
"Dismantle the opponent's defense" and "kill the game" are easy words for the commentator to say, but it is not so easy for the players to put them into action. However, Garland did it this season. Considering that he is only 1.85 meters tall and does not have the amazing jumping and explosive power of Morant, it is commendable to be able to do this.
Affected by his physical fitness, Garland's shots are mainly shooting, and there are many difficult mid- and long-range pull-up jumpers. Last season, nearly 50% of Garland's shots were 10 feet away from the basket; this season, this proportion has increased to 2/3, and his shooting percentage reached 52.4%. Among players who have attempted more than 100 pull-up jumpers so far this season, Garland ranks seventh, only 0.6% lower than Paul, who ranks sixth, and higher than Durant's 52.1%.
Simple style of play but with a big heart
No matter how you measure it, Garland's performance in this aspect is quite impressive.
In addition, Garland averaged 6.9 shots from beyond the three-point line this season, nearly 40% higher than the average in the previous two seasons, while maintaining a 36.6% shooting rate. Among them, more than half of Garland's shots were pull-up jumpers, and his shooting rate did not drop significantly. Among the 9 games in which he made more than 4 three-pointers, Garland had a shooting percentage of more than 50% in 7 games, and helped the Cavaliers win 7 games. They only lost to the Jazz by 1 point at home, and Curry led the Warriors who were run away. Reversal in the final quarter.
In the previous two seasons, opponents against Garland often chose to bypass or switch defenses when faced with the Cavaliers' pick-and-roll. It's not because Garland's long-range shot is not accurate enough, but because young people often hesitate to take the shot immediately. But this situation almost no longer occurs this season. If you dare to leave enough space for Garland, he will take decisive action. Even if the big man who switches defense is trying to catch up, or the opponent squeezes through the screen and chases after him, Garland will still find an opportunity to shoot, or send a second pass to his teammates. This means that in the game against the Cavaliers, the opponent needs to concentrate on defense and change defense quickly and accurately in order to limit Garland.
Halfway through the regular season this season, only the experienced and in-form Warriors have completely accomplished this at home: In the Cavaliers' 82-96 defeat in Golden State, Garland played 33 minutes and only scored 3 of 12 shots. 9 points, 4 assists and 4 turnovers. This is the only game he scored in single digits this season and lost.
Although the frequency of breaking into the penalty area and hitting the basket is lower than last season, Garland's offensive success rate is higher. This season, Garland shot a career-high 65% on shots within 3 feet of the basket, 6% higher than last season. Unlike Morant who throws himself into the sky first and then thinks about his next move, and different from Irving's complex combination of moves that can stun all opponents in front of him, Garland relies more on basic skills to create opportunities for himself to attack the basket: changing speed, Changes of direction, fake moves... He reminded people of Nash who switched to personal attack mode. The opponent thought that the defense was tight enough and it was time to pass the ball, but in the end he found that he was going to take the shot himself, and he scored.
"The best point guard is a player who can contribute both in terms of assisting opponents and scoring his own points." Cavaliers coach Bickerstaff said, "We usually find that adding Lan will shoot a few three-pointers at the beginning of the game, which will put enough pressure on the defenders to make them stay closer when guarding us in the pick-and-roll, which will leave space for others. We will have more after that. Play some pick-and-rolls, Garland and Mobley, or cooperate with Allen. Garland can hit the basket by himself, or pass the ball to a big teammate who cuts in, or distribute the ball to an open teammate on the outside in the final stage of the game. -- In those tight moments -- Garland has the ability to handle the ball, beat his man, and hit those big shots. You can argue that every point guard does those things, but the key is to be aggressive. There is no doubt that Garland is such an excellent point guard.”
It’s very exciting to hit the All-Star spot
Who is Garland’s light on the road to basketball?
"I have watched a lot of Stephen Curry's game videos." Garland gave a somewhat surprising answer. After all, he is not the kind of defender who shoots three-pointers wildly. This season The number of three-point attempts and hits ranks outside the 20th among all guards. But then, Garland gave the answer: He studied Curry's game videos to learn how to play pick-and-rolls. "Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul... I think these guards are really good at creating shots and getting teammates involved in the offense."
In addition, Curry's off-ball skills are also something Garland wants to learn. In the previous two seasons, the Cavaliers played in a mess, and Garland did not show his talent in this area; now, there are many Cavaliers teammates who are good at passing: Spanish point guard Rubio is certainly a master among masters, and Love is in the paint. They are also top passers. Although Allen and Mobley are young, they are willing to support from the high position. Therefore, Garland will also consciously pass the ball to his teammates, and then actively run himself, creating opportunities to shoot directly after receiving the ball.
Being able to score and assist, with and without the ball, Garland is naturally more difficult to defend. Players from the other 29 teams, especially the big players, now feel pain when playing against the Cavaliers - how can they prevent the opponent's pick-and-roll? Allen and Mobley can cut in, and Love and Markkanen can bounce out. Whether it's a bull horn tactic or double coverage, Garland can do it well. According to statistics, when Garland plays pick-and-roll with the four players mentioned above, the Cavaliers average 1.1 points per round, which is quite efficient. In particular, the combination of Garland and Mobley performed like a golden partnership: scoring 1.2 points per pick-and-roll! Only the Hawks duo Trae Young + John Collins are more efficient than them this season.
In fact, the Cavaliers' record this season can be better: the main guard Sexton, who has averaged more than 20 points per game for two consecutive seasons, has only played 11 games so far this season; Rubio is He tore his ACL late last year and is unlikely to return this season. But it is precisely because of Garland's presence that the Cavaliers' record has not plummeted: before losing to the Bulls in the away game, Garland had led the team to five consecutive victories, including an away victory over the Jazz and a tough battle against the Nets at home. In Salt Lake City, although Garland had a poor shooting touch (3 of 11), he scored a triple-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists; in San Antonio, Garland scored a season-high 32 points, 8 assists and only 1 turnovers; facing Harden and Irving, Garland scored 22 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, including 8 points and 4 assists in the final quarter.
Including 18 assists against the Thunder, Garland got 30 assists in two games. He is the first Cavaliers player besides James to get such data in the past 20 years.
Since Sexton’s injury, Garland has averaged 21 points and 7 assists per game. Except for Trae Young, Morant, Harden and VanVleet, no guard can do so this season. Get this kind of data; when Garland is on the court, the Cavaliers average 10 points more per 100 possessions than when he is not on the court. Without Sexton, this data is 12.7 points. If VanVleet should be selected for the All-Stars, Garland is also eligible-the Cavaliers need such a hero in the post-LeBron era.