When Evan Mobley returned after missing over a month recovering from knee surgery, it was a shot in the arm for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It ended up being a double tap for Cleveland once it became clear that Mobley's fit in the team's new offensive system was seamless. The new-found spacing gave Mobley almost too much real estate on the interior to attack the basket, where he thrives on offense.
Regardless, that didn't stop Mobley from getting in on the fun, and he has started showcasing his ability to flare out to the perimeter and knock down his perimeter attempts.
Speaking of injured Cavs players, Darius Garland returned soon after Mobley did, and it was another shot in the arm morale-wise for an already red-hot Cleveland team. But unlike Mobley, Garland's fit within the new offensive attack wasn't an instant match.
Even if he super-swiped right, it's been hard for Garland to play without the ball in his hands when sharing the floor with one or both of Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert.
Garland's Groove
Since returning from jaw surgery, Garland has averaged 11.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists, all lower than expected. Considering that Garland was unable to workout past a certain threshold while recovering, the slow start was to be expected. But, even when Garland is on the floor, especially with several games under his belt, things haven't been as seamless as it has been for Mobley.
That's not an indictment of Garland or a statement saying that the Cavs should move on from Garland and build everything around Donovan Mitchell at point guard. Instead, it would take a little extra work from Garland, his teammates and Cleveland's coaching staff to try and figure things out. In the Cavs' latest outing against the Philadelphia 76ers, there were glimmers of Garland's evolution and ideal fit in Cleveland's offensive attack.
To open things the Cavs empowered Mitchell to take the lead on handling the reigns of the offense, with Garland playing second fiddle. But instead of sitting around, waiting for Mitchell to kick it to him, Cleveland forced Garland to keep moving, bending Philadelphia's defense with his offensive gravity and getting him open looks from heavy screens from the Cavs' bigs.
Garland was perfect from the floor after opening things up with Mitchell, scoring four points, dishing out one assist and securing one steal. But, what Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff did next to empower Garland instead of Mitchell will take the Cavs' already lethal offense to the next level.
All it took was breaking up the All-Star backcourt, staggering their minutes, and playing Garland when Mitchell sat. From there, Cleveland caught lightning in a bottle.
It really hit midway into the third quarter, with Garland racking up five easy points and creating six points off two assists to Max Strus on the perimeter. Playing without Mitchell or LeVert on the floor with him allowed Garland to build a rhythm and find his own degree of control within the Cavs' new offensive flow.
Giving him that degree of control gave Garland glimpses of not only his old self but also avoided the mind-numbing “your turn, my turn” style of play Cleveland sometimes falls into. More importantly, it allowed the Cavs to close the game with all three of Garland, Mitchell, and LeVert, making it harder for Philadelphia to adjust on defense and giving Cleveland some clean, wide-open looks on the perimeter.
Was it perfect? Not at all since the Cavs lost to the Sixers 123-121. But, in the grand scheme, it's an encouraging sign for Cleveland in the long term. That helps soften the blow of this loss for the Cavs, especially when Garland and Mitchell are vital for the team's offensive success.
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