On the second day of All-Star Weekend, there were two things about the Cavaliers, one was that their trio was crowned the King of Skills, and the other was that their old buddies were a little homesick.
"Cleveland has two of their own All-Stars, DG and the big guy, and they have one more person on their All-Star lineup, and that's me, and that's a great feeling."
The quote comes from LeBron James, who spoke about the game's home team, the old club cavaliers, on All-Star Media Day.
Revisiting the old place and praising the old lord is also human affection, but Old Zhan's statement can't help but cause people to think, is it still possible to go home?
"The door hasn't been closed, I don't know now, I don't know what the future holds." James said.
Pulling the time back to 2014, Ilgoskas's jersey retired at the Cavaliers, James asked the Heat to return to Cleveland to celebrate his old teammates, when the Heat were not very willing to take a leave, but the old Jan was very determined, and that participation in the jersey retirement ceremony was later considered to be a sign of James and the Cavaliers' re-repair of the old.
Eight years on, James is back in Cleveland again, once again creating a certain possibility. Eight years ago, James returned to the Cavaliers, and one of the main reasons was that this team had Irving, and no matter how controversial Irving's personality was, when he stood on the court, it was quite capable of playing, so the elder Jan would call Irving an "extraordinary boy.".
The 2016 Finals snatched seven life-and-death balls, validating James' vision. Are there still young people like Irving who attracted the attention of old Zhan like Owen?
"He's a big-shot player." James said.
DG, the big-scene player, is talking about a man, 22-year-old Cavaliers guard, Darius Garland.
Garland and Irving have one similarity, which is that their college careers have been plagued by injuries, because the meniscus is torn, and he is reimbursed for the season after vanderbilt only played 5 games, when the Cavaliers were in their first year after James's westward journey to Los Angeles, winning only 19 games in 82 games.
Perhaps coincidentally, the Cavaliers also had 19 wins in james' first year after he went to Miami (2010-11), and they subsequently selected Irving, and this time, they selected Garland.
Unlike Irving's original entry into the league with a star aura, Garland's growth in the NBA is a steady upward process, one step a year, the third year from the previous accumulation ushered in a qualitative change, he played an average of 20.3 points and 8 assists per game, this season only four players handed over an average of 20+8 points assists per game, in addition to Garland, the other three are Harden, Trae Young and Doncic.
Contemporary basketball positions have been blurred, elite defenders are often dual guards, can drive teammates, can also attack the city, this kind of player is called the big core of the ball, can be used as a cornerstone of the team, Garland is like this.
Garland is a combination of attack type, his projection point has no dead ends, this season from the basket 3 foot area shooting rate of 63%, shooting 52% from the middle, three-point shooting 38%, if the defender gives him space, he will use the mid-range shot to give punishment, if it is close to the defense, he will laugh and go straight to the basket, the near basket area of the basket and throwing, very much nash and young Paul feeling.
Garland is a scorer, but not only a scorer, he has averaged 20.6 points per game for the Cavaliers through assists this season, and only 8 players in the league have 20+ in this statistic, including Paul, Doncic and Jokic, all of whom are the core superstars of the founding team.
"Garland can use the pass to steer the team, which comes from his ability to read the game, he can anticipate the opponent's defense and force the opponent in his own way to make defensive changes that will help him create opportunities for his teammates." Cavaliers head coach Bixtaff said.
The Cavaliers' configuration gave Garland the opportunity to play game reading and technical execution, Bixtaf bucked the tide in this small-ball era, posing a three-high lineup, these three big men have their own characteristics, Jarrett Allen, who is called "the big man" by James, is a master of "eating cakes" down the line, Mobley and Markkanen have better range, and Garland's score can find different styles of endpoints.
For example, Allen, Garland has sent 90 assists to the All-Star big man this season, Andron has specially practiced the footwork and shooting of the basket in the offseason to strengthen his "eating pie" ability, and it is Garland who releases this ability, and the two will add blocking content to their daily training.
"It's great when you get in shape with the point guards in the team," Aaron said, "and we can read each other's tactical intentions, which comes from training, we do a lot of blocking and dismantling practice, even if we play casually during the break, we also play the blocking and dismantling, and the tacit understanding is formed." Then, we also maintain communication during the game, for example I will ask him if he needs to cover in the morning, and what angle down is more convenient for him to pass. ”
Talent and chemistry have shaped the Cavaliers' dark horse journey this season, ushering in An all-Star Weekend with fourth place in the East. The 2022 All-Star returned to Cleveland, Garland and Allen joined the selection, and the last time the Cavaliers made the two players into the All-Star together was in the 2017-18 season, when James and Love put on the All-Star shirt together, which was also the farewell season of the James Cavaliers 2.0 period.
This time, will the knights once again welcome the return of their Chosen Son? The answer, perhaps, is in Garland's hands.
Being named an All-Star and crowned King of Skills is a good start.