Should Darius Garland's NBA playoffs form concern Cavs?

24/04/2024 15:36

Although the Cleveland Cavaliers have been outright dominant in their first-round NBA playoffs matchup against the Orlando Magic, they aren’t invincible. While both games have been a defensive slugfest, the Magic have discovered a way to slow down Donovan Mitchell’s scoring impact for the Cavs. It requires Orlando to send multiple defenders, forcing Mitchell into passing to a nearby Cleveland player and muddying up the overall offensive flow.

While the results have been positive at times when Mitchell breaks whatever trap the Magic throw at him, moments like these are when the Cavs need Darius Garland to step up. But in either game, Garland has felt relatively one-note at times on offense, which is the last thing Cleveland needs from him.

With the series flipping to Orlando, the playoff pressure will be heightened. If Garland continues to be less impactful, is it time to worry?

Diagnosing Darius Garland’s NBA playoff impact

Through two games, Darius Garland has averaged 14.5 points, 2.5 made three-pointers, and six assists per game. Again, this series has been a defensive grind for either side. Even Mitchell, who leads the Cavs in playoff scoring at 26.5 points per game, has had to work to get his points against a stingy Magic team.

But for Garland to be Cleveland’s fourth-highest scorer, behind Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley, in the first round isn’t ideal – especially when Orlando has found a pressure point to exploit as the series shifts to their home court. The Cavs need Garland to find offensive consistency on the court so that he can be a game-wrecker, especially when the Magic hone in on Mitchell.

But to be fair to Garland, he hasn’t been able to find consistency in either game for the same reason as the regular season, which was both in and out of his control.

In Game 1, Garland’s back tightened up in the second half, looking stiff and out of sorts while trying to play through it. In Game 2, meanwhile, foul trouble kept Garland from making a serious impact in the first half of action, limiting his overall production even if he finished the game with 15 points and 4 assists.

“It’s the foul trouble that got the best of him,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after Game 2. “He picked up those three early fouls and only played 10 minutes in the first half so it’s hard to catch a rhythm.

“But, I think he’s playing with confidence. He’s playing with belief and I love the fact that he’s shooting the three ball off the bounce. They want to keep going under on him, and he keeps finding those threes, and if he knocks them down, it’s going to change the way they have to defend him.”

So with Garland’s back remaining a lingering issue since he’s been wearing a heating brace while not on the floor and limited footage of him against Orlando, it’s hard to gauge where he’s at currently. While Bickerstaff bluntly said Garland’s back was fine since Cleveland is dealing with playoff-caliber basketball, it’s easier to believe it if there was tangible data to go through.

So, with the Cavs heading to Orlando to take on the Magic for Games 3 and 4 of this playoff series, things are a bit up in the air regarding Garland and what he can bring to the table.

Regardless, Cleveland needs Garland to step up and find his rhythm, especially with Orlando more than ready to blitz Mitchell and slow down his on-court impact. While the data might not transfer, Garland’s confidence in himself might instead. All eyes should and will be on how he performs in Game 3 in Orlando.

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