Cleveland has been waiting for a new leader since James left in 2018, and this man has finally appeared this season, and he is Garland, who has not been given such a heavy responsibility before. Today, Garland blasted down 41 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, leading the capped Cavaliers to take down the Pacers, setting a new career single-game scoring record, reflecting the leadership's responsibility. This game is also the epitome of Garland's season out of the cocoon. His all-star status is like a fake bag, and he is the new king of Cleveland.
Garland's top spot is already in the 2021 offseason. The cause was a disagreement between the Cavaliers and Sexton over the contract extension, and the Cavaliers did not believe that Sexton deserved the top salary. Later, some media attacked Sexton, saying that he only cared about blindly brushing the data, completely disregarding the victory and defeat, and was not welcomed by his teammates. Garland not only plays hard, can shoot, but also has a strong willingness to pass, and is more liked by his teammates. To this end, Sexton was also involved in multiple trading rumors.
If the media's push is only the first wave of offensive, Sexton has only played 11 games this season and was reimbursed for tearing the meniscus in his left knee, which pushed Garland to the front line. Garland's performance exceeded expectations. Before today's game, he played in 50 games this season, averaging 20.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 47.8% from the field and 38.2% from three-point range. The improvement in personal performance and the rise of the Cavaliers this season complemented the rise of Garland to this year's All-Star.
Recently, the knights have been unfavorable. LeVert has missed six consecutive games with a foot injury, and the Cavaliers have broken Jarrett Allen in the last game. Today's coach Bixtaff Jr. said that "I'm not sure if Allen can come back in the regular season this season", which made the mood of Cleveland fans fall to the bottom. After all, the Cavaliers' playoffs this season aren't a foregone conclusion. The Cavaliers are currently no. 6 in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 wins ahead of the 7th place Raptors, and if they are not careful, they will have to fight the nets, Hornets and Hawks in the playoffs, when the huge pressure may crush this youth army.
Fortunately, garland stepped forward today and relieved the need for the knight. According to statistics, Garland became the first Cavaliers player to score 40+ assists and 10+ since James in 2010. Even his opponents were impressed by it, and Pacers new signing Harry Burton said after the game that he looked forward to playing Garland many times in the future, "Which will definitely motivate me." ”
Perhaps, looking back at Garland's past, we will know why he has come to this day.
Garland was born in Indiana on January 26, 2000, the youngest of six children. Hailing from an NBA family, his father Winston Garland is a 1.88m tall point guard who was selected in the second round in 1987 and played in 511 games in his career for the Warriors, Clippers, Nuggets, Rockets and Timberwolves, with 9.4 points, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 43% from the field. In addition, Winston also went to the Italian league to pan for gold.
Influenced by his father, although Garand Jr. initially played baseball, he was unable to control basketball after being 5 years old. In his third year of elementary school, Garland traveled to a training camp and met Coach Bryce Drew, and the two were later reunited at Vanderbilt University. In his fourth year, he joined an AAU team that was invincible in his age group and traveled across the United States to challenge older opponents.
Later, Garland joined Brentwood College High School in Tennessee. In his senior year of high school, he averaged 23.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, leading the team to 30 wins and 2 losses and winning the state championship. In his senior year of high school, Garland averaged 27.6 points, 5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, won the Tennessee Basketball Mr. For the third time, and was also named to the All-America Team. Numerous media outlets unanimously elected him as a five-star high school student, ranking 11th to 17th among the 2018 class of high school students in the United States and first among point guards.
Because of his relationship with Coach Drew, Garland joined Vanderbilt University, but the good news is that after only 5 games, Garland was reimbursed for the season due to a meniscus injury, and left the campus to concentrate on preparing for the draft. His NCAA career came to an abrupt end.
Despite not being able to play well in the NCAA due to injury to pick up the picks, Garland was selected by the Cavaliers with the 5th pick in the first round of 2019. The choice of knights in that year was criticized. After all, just a year ago, the Cavaliers selected Sexton with the 8th pick in the first round. Two short defenders with a height of 1.85 meters were selected for two consecutive years, and the Cavaliers were considered to be repeating the construction, especially when Reddish, one of the "Duke Three" at the time, had not yet been selected (in the end, Reddish was selected by the Hawks with the 10th pick).
What happened afterwards also seems to prove that people's fears are not superfluous. In both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, the Cavaliers are hovering in the bottom three of the Eastern Conference, and Garland's prospects for the team remain uncertain despite his gradual improvements. In contrast, Sexton entered the role earlier, crossing the threshold of 20+ points per game in the second season of his career. From January 21 to 23, 2021, Sexton scored a total of 67 points in two consecutive games, picking out the Nets of the Big Three and making a name for himself in the league.
But the Knights chose Garland after all. A question also arises: Will he and Garland be able to coexist after Sexton's return? There is a premise on this issue, that is, after the expiration of this year's contract, Sexton will still renew the Cavaliers, but this premise itself is unlikely to be true. The Cavaliers could not have given Sexton the contract they wanted, and after the latter was seriously injured, they would depress the price, and Sexton would be bent on going.
From a tactical point of view, the Cavaliers are based on defense this season, with a better height (1.96 meters) and better defense O'Corro, which seems to be more suitable for partnering Garland in the backcourt. Moreover, due to the problem of the distribution of the ball, even if Sexton stays in the team, it may be a substitute position that is more suitable for him. Theoretically, therefore, Sexton and Garland no longer have a basis for continued cooperation.
For a small-market team like the Cavaliers, with limited purchasing power and attractiveness, the wisdom of choosing a rookie and the patience of developing a rookie are indispensable, which is the magic weapon for their success. Garland is their latest success. But in fact, even the Cavaliers may not have expected that this short defender, who is less than 1.90 meters tall, will be the future hope of the team. Now, if Allen can't return this season, Garland will single-handedly shoulder the burden of leading the Cavaliers to fulfill their dreams in the playoffs. Can he live up to expectations? (Supine Braces/Hairy)