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After coming up short against the Boston Celtics last season, all eyes are on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs had a quiet offseason but were able to keep Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland also signed Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to long-term deals. Finally, the Cavs drafted Jaylon Tyson and named Kenny Atkinson the franchise's next head coach. Despite the internal belief in themselves, everyone else is waiting for Cleveland to go out and prove it. However, the one player who might need to prove it more than anyone on Cleveland's roster is point guard Darius Garland.
A former All-Star, last season was a chaotic one for Garland. He dealt with injury after injury, including a broken jaw that cost him almost two months and 15 pounds. He also shot his lowest percentage from the field and three-point percentage in three seasons. In the playoffs, the point guard did not get any better, as Garland only averaged 16 points per game and shot 35 percent from three-point range.
For Garland to bounce back, confidence and better luck health-wise will be critical. However, with Atkinson now planning the Cavs' offense, there's a golden opportunity for Garland to become Cleveland's X-Factor this season. During his preseason media availability, Atkinson shared a clear vision for how the Cavs can get Garland back to All-Star status. While it might seem simple, what Atkinson has in store for Garland could be a difference-maker every night for Cleveland.
What does Kenny Atkinson have planned for Darius Garland and the Cavs?
Atkinson wants and expects Garland to shoot more threes next season. That may seem simple enough. However, Atkinson clarified that they don't want Garland just taking any threes. They want it to come out of the offense naturally.
“He's gotta shoot more, but it's not that simple,” said Atkinson. “That's where coaching comes in, and that's where strategy comes in.
“I know when Ricky (Rubio) was here, [Garland] came off a lot of off-ball screens. If we add that variety to this offense, he's not just 90 percent pick and roll and having to create a lot of on his own. Much like Donovan, create more easy catch and shoot … When you look at the numbers, he's really good at coming off off-ball screens.”
On paper, incorporating more catch-and-shoot in the offense for Garland is the perfect way to get him more involved while not putting too much pressure on him to do everything himself. The Cavs have plenty of secondary creators like Mitchell to pair with Garland to make this happen. Atkinson also noted that bigs like Allen, Mobley, and even Tristan Thompson are perfect for Cleveland to execute this offensive plan for Garland.
During the 2022-23 season, Garland attempted 4.2 catch-and-shoot threes a game and connected on 38.1 percent of them. However, that dropped to just 1.6 attempts last season while shooting 31.6 percent on those attempts. So, Atkinson could be onto something when unlocking Garland's scoring prowess. While it might not click right away, if the Cavs can have Garland contributing offensively through his scoring and playmaking, their backcourt becomes near-impossible to defend. That makes Garland Cleveland's biggest X-factor most nights – especially when the games matter most.
