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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland knows he's far from a finished product. Garland may be a two-time All-Star and one of the key players on the Eastern Conference-leading Cavs, but he's still just 25 years old. One could argue that he hasn't even hit his peak yet. While Garland's confidence is extremely “high” right now as he leads the Eastern Conference's top seed into the playoffs, he's still determined to become better.
“The job's not done yet, so I'm still working at this point,” says Garland in a one-on-one interview. “Just keep getting stronger and then just keep learning about the game. I can get better in every area, in my opinion. I try to limit some of the turnovers — the silly turnovers — and stay aggressive. That's one thing that I really want to work on.”
Although Garland is just 25 years old, he's in the midst of his sixth season. Garland is an established veteran who was actually the first person born in the 2000s to make his debut in the NBA. The former No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft struggled during his rookie campaign, averaging 12.3 points on 3.9 assists to 2.6 turnovers per game. He converted on just 40.1% of his field goal attempts.
Fast-forward five years, and Garland is averaging 20.6 points on 47.0% from the field and 40.2% from beyond the arc. He's also averaging a team-leading 6.7 assists to just 2.5 turnovers per game.
Garland mentions wanting to continue to make his teammates better. It helps that he's flanked by two All-Star teammates in Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.
“Try to make my teammates better, because I know we are really going to need them down this stretch in the playoffs,” Darius Garland says when asked about his objectives moving forward. “Try to get them involved as much as I can. Keep learning, keep watching film, that's really been my growth.”
The 25-year-old just led the Cavaliers to their first 60-win season since the LeBron James-led squad back in 2009-10. It's no coincidence that Cleveland has its best chance of winning a championship since James departed Cleveland in 2018 with Garland having one of the best years of his career.
“Confidence is super high right now,” says Garland. “That's just coming with the work that I put in over the summertime. I really wanted to come in this year, I really had a chip on my shoulder, so I really want to prove everybody wrong from what they were saying last year when I was hurt. The work that I put in this summer is definitely translating to this year and I'm super happy with the work for sure, and still have to keep going.”
Darius Garland has been healthy this season, appearing in 72 of 77 games. Outside of Jarrett Allen — who has appeared in every game this season — Garland has the most appearances of any Cavaliers player. The two-time All-Star guard missed 25 games last season as he dealt with a fractured jaw.
He mentions wanting to stay healthy as one of his goals moving forward.
“Just learning the game as the years go,” says Garland. “Just try to get better every year and just try to stay patient, try to stay healthy as much as I can. I know in the last couple years the injuries have really been taking me out of the rotation a little bit, so I just want to stay healthy as much as I can.
“Just stay aggressive all four quarters, keep my foot on the gas, and keep making my teammates better,” Garland continues to say.
The Cavaliers will need Garland healthy and aggressive as they seek to win their second title in franchise history.
