Once a narrative is planted, it can be impossible to uproot. Many believe Darius Garland’s disorderly 2023-24 campaign can be pinned on his pairing with Donovan Mitchell — and that a new home would return Garland to the All-Star status he enjoyed before Mitchell’s arrival.
However, this would be a band-aid solution for deeper issues of Garland’s development.
Garland had the best individual season of his career in his first year next to Mitchell. While his production marginally decreased, his efficiency and all-around impact improved. Garland was no longer strained by carrying an entire offense — as Mitchell’s ability to draw a crowd paired nicely with Garland’s talent for manipulating help defenders.
Lineups featuring both guards posted a lethal net rating of +8.9 (94th percentile) in the 2022-23 season. We can pick gripes with the offense occasionally resorting to a “your turn, my turn” playstyle — but having two dynamic guards who can dice up a defense in different ways is valuable.
Even this past season — which was the worst Garland has looked since he was a rookie — the duo maintained a respectable +5.7 net rating (81st percentile) when on the floor. It wasn’t the two of them together that caused headaches. It was Garland’s minutes without Mitchell that provided the migraines.
The Cavaliers went 9-12 this season with Garland available but not Mitchell. Those lineups held just a +1.0 net rating (57th percentile) and directly contradict the notion that Garland needs a new home to return to his former self. Garland has a higher impact on winning when he is rolling next to Mitchell than when he is running the show on his own.
Garland is hyper-reliant on his three-point shooting. He’s an undersized guard who cannot put pressure on the rim. This is an easy problem for opposing defenses to solve. Even through his playmaking, Garland cannot always impact the game if his perimeter shot isn’t falling. This made lineups without Mitchell juiceless in a season where Garland struggled more than usual to establish an offensive rhythm.
Garland’s trials this season include everything from a broken jaw to downright sloppiness. The least of DG’s issues, however, was his backcourt running mate. Opportunities to dominate his role next to Mitchell were plentiful throughout the year. Garland’s limitations are what held him back.
It’s not a revelation to say that 6’1” guards don’t carry NBA teams. Only a handful of players have accomplished such a feat in any meaningful capacity. When you subtract high-end athleticism from the equation — such as in the case of Garland — the margin for error shrinks even more.
This is why the Cavaliers swung for a talent such as Mitchell, in the first place. Mitchell might be undersized himself but he provides the volume scoring that the Cavs so desperately lacked in the 2021-22 season. Mitchell fills the gaps that Garland can’t. Now it’s time for Garland to fill the gaps in his own game.
Garland is due for a return to form in the upcoming season with a full summer to shake himself off and recover the weight he lost after fracturing his jaw. But even then, his profile lends him to being a second option next to someone like Mitchell. His stats might improve on another team — but Garland’s ceiling, as far as winning is concerned — is maximizing his role alongside a pure scorer.
This role presented itself to Garland all season. He played more without the ball — with his usage rate reaching a three-year low and his assisted field goal attempts bordering on a career-high. The Cavaliers would love to see Garland move the defense more by cutting and using screens away from the ball to free himself for easy scoring opportunities.
A fine line exists between actively working off-ball and deferring too much. Garland often did the latter by standing idle whenever he wasn’t directly involved in the play. He is a gifted shooter yet he finished in the bottom half of the league in catch-and-shoot three-point attempts with just 2.5 a game. The Cavs can’t afford for Garland to be this inactive away from the ball — and neither can any team he could play for in the future.
Does Cleveland’s coaching staff do enough to promote motion in the offense? Or does Garland simply lack the motor (or urge) to move without the ball? The answer is likely both — but this is an adjustment Garland has to make on his own, at some point. Handling the ball is the elite skill that made him an All-Star. The key to developing into a championship-caliber player might be learning to play without it.
We have seen that Garland can not consistently beat teams with his scoring. He lacks the interior prowess needed to excel when his perimeter shot isn’t falling. This means the path forward is polishing his off-ball instincts, something he will have to do regardless of what city he is playing for if winning basketball is his end goal.
An argument remains for splitting up the backcourt. But not for the reason that Garland needs to go somewhere else to develop. He will need to become a complete player no matter who his co-star is. Assuming Garland can’t grow next to Mitchell would be missing the forest for the trees.
