In the words of punk rock band Fall Out Boy, "are we growing up, or just going down? It's just a matter of time until we're all found out." The lyrics from the 2005 pop-punk song Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year? are refrains throughout their debut album's hidden gem of a track, and certainly apply to the fast-paced nature of life in the NBA. Year two is "make or break" time for a lot of players, where the rookie leash disappears and assimilation to the league is no longer excused by inexperience. It's time for some to grow up or just go down. I'm not a betting man, so don't take this as simple as "here's who Coach Spins is putting his money on" - but it's as close to that. We'll be diving in player-by-player to some sophomoric previews (accompanied by sophomoric humor and terrible puns, like the Fall Out Boy opening above). There's no better place for me to start than with Darius Garland, the guy I ranked #2 in the 2019 draft class just behind Zion Williamson. Yes, I had Garland above Ja Morant. What strides does he need to make, and what has he shown early in the preseason to give confidence that his year in Cleveland will be more comeback than slump? Let's get the rough stuff out of the way early. Garland wasn't very good as a rookie. Some common mistakes carried over to the first two preseason games of 2020. In his first contest, Garland has one assist in 22 minutes, following that up with two dimes and six turnovers on Monday night. Yes, he's averaging 15.5 points through two games and that comes while not even making his three-pointers, but the playmaking for others and lack of ball security are consistent concerns. About six months ago, I wrote a profile of Garland's rookie season and what he might stand to improve upon. Without rehashing the whole piece (which you can find here), the nuts and bolts are simple: add strength/ weight, improve finishing at the rim, protect the ball. Garland came into camp with a new body and looked ready to check the first prong off his checklist. His added frame is notable thus far in how its impacted his explosion and willingness to take contact at the rim. It shouldn't change expectations on how Garland plays; he's not Russell Westbrook steamrolling over opponents. Instead, it's a nice pairing with the best part of his game: elite touch with floaters. He's already made 5 through two preseason games; it's his go-to move and a part of his game that's already better than most NBA point guards. What the strength hopefully also brings is less wear-and-tear, allowing him to be more consistent a shooter and defender. If nothing else, a commitment to the weight room means he can get knocked over, get up and easily regain his shooting touch. The pairing with Andre Drummond should really benefit Garland. We've already seen flashes where Garland's high-IQ and individual training in the pick-and-roll pairs well with a great screener and finisher like Dre. Through only two preseason games, Darius looks much more comfortable manipulating the pace of ball screens and taking the patient approach. Drummond isn't a threat to shoot, so working pick-and-rolls with him is far different than a shooter like Kevin Love or Larry Nance Jr. In those instances, Garland can speed off and, in the defense's haste to cover the popping shooter, attack the hoop or make a speedy read. With a non-shooter like Drummond, everything is based on angles, slowing down and manipulating the defensive big. He looks so comfortable snaking plays now and keeping his defender on his back with the hostage dribble. Sometimes he'll score off his floater or get all the way to the rim, but in reality all he needs is to get a shot up at the rim that isn't blocked. Once he forces the switch and shoots over a big, it's easy money for Drummond to crash the glass and get a putback: Both concepts of hostage dribbles and snaking pick-and-rolls come from the same teaching point of creating space & taking the space. Guards do damage by getting into open areas of the defense; by snaking, Garland is simply going to where there is space and as a result, creating more for himself and his teammates to attack. By slowing down off screens and creating contact, he's letting the space in front of him naturally develop, and where there's space, there's room for him to manipulate the defense. The same idea holds merit in more speedy attacks or against different coverages. When teams ice side ball screens, Garland isn't shy about driving into the teeth of the coverage near the logo. The 12-to-15-foot area is where defenses force ball handlers in ice coverage. It just so happens that's where Garland is most lethal in two-point range with his floater. He gets to his spots with a timely first bounce off the action, then uses the herky-jerky shiftiness he's blessed with to get room to float an attempt over the big. It's the perfect combination of understanding where his strength is and taking what the defense gives him: It's becoming apparent how damaging his rookie season being under John Beilein has been. The insistence on a ton of sets and fusing the Princeton-esque principles stunted Garland's ability to play in the pick-and-roll. Under JB Bickerstaff for the first full year, the offense will look drastically different and be catered more to Garland, Collin Sexton and the skills of Cleveland's players, not to the comfort level, lingo and persuasion of the sideline general.
The absence of Sexton from these preseason games is likely somewhat linked to my optimism about buying stock in Garland. He looks much more comfortable running the show when he knows he's the point guard on the floor. Splitting reps with Sexton limits touches, which means it's less likely he figures it out to ever transcend into the alpha role. I've long believed Garland can be that guy -- he has potential to be a great shooter, the elite floater game, shake and timely passing, is improving his left-hand and possesses a tremendous basketball IQ. There's an absolute scenario where Sexton and Garland coexist into a positive starting backcourt. The more both are asked to play together, the less likely it becomes one emerges to be the guy. I'm all for buying stock in Garland, especially now that there's a serviceable rim protector and a defensive-minded wing in Isaac Okoro. The Cavs may not take a giant leap forward this year, but Garland very well could. He just needs continuity around his development and, thankfully for him, a big man like Drummond to aid his improvement. It's not been smooth sailing from the start, and even the preseason results aren't entirely satisfying. But if there's a case to be made for patience with Garland, it's this: he looks much more comfortable with the speed of the game, dictating to defenses what will happen instead of the other way around. With a competent coach, talented veteran screener and continuity for his development, now may be the time to buy low on the second-year pro.
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Adam SpinellaHead Boys Basketball Coach, Boys' Latin School (MD). Archives
September 2021
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