Tristan Thompson Notes How Darius Garland Has Changed Since Rookie Cavs Season

The last time Tristan Thompson was in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform, Darius Garland was entering his first year in the NBA.

Somehow, someway, Darius Garland is entering his fifth season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Time has flown by for the All-Star point guard, so quickly that he’s now the one giving the pointers to the man who initially took Garland under his wing as a rookie: Tristan Thompson.

“[It’s] a little bit [weird], because he was always sending me pictures of when I was a rookie that he was my vet,” Garland said of Thompson at the beginning of Cavs training camp. “So now it's like, 'I'm gonna be your vet.' I mean, it's working pretty well. At practice he's been on the same team as me a little bit. It's going pretty well.

“He's got a nice dad bod right now (laughs). TT always has been himself. He's always been very loud, always wants to talk to people, always puts a smile on your face. He's a good leader. Nothing has changed, really. I'm not concerned [about] taking that leadership role now. So the roles have reversed a little bit. I'm trying to teach him as much as I can and he's listening, so that's a good thing.”

Jan 10, 2022; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Tristan Thompson (13) with his arm around Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) after the game at Golden 1 Center / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Upon hearing Garland’s assessment of their upcoming second stint together in Cleveland, a grinning Thompson snickered before responding.

“Oh, I'm the rook now? I mean listen, I paid it forward to DG and he's done a great job taking the gems that I've given him,” Thompson said. “It's called holding each other accountable. That's what you want from your point guard, to be an extension of J.B. on the floor, and that's what he's done this year.

“Your rookie year compared to going into Year 5, [it’s] just being more comfortable with the game. For him as a rookie playing — four games at Vanderbilt, basically missing a whole season and coming right to the NBA and playing at this level — that's a big jump. He knows his spots, he knows where his points [are], where his kill zones are, and I think that's the biggest growth in his game.”

Over the last three seasons, Garland has developed into a star-studded floor general. Thompson revealed to reporters on Monday that he’s been in his ear the whole time, “always watching” the Cavs since despite departing in the 2020 offseason.

“He's a way better player. An All-Star. A franchise point guard,” Thompson said. “He's understanding the pace of the game. And when I say way better player, I don't mean it in a bad way, he was really good coming in obviously. But now, he's took it to another level where he's putting his team on his back.

"I'm so happy with his progression. Great pick.”

Even with the addition of Donovan Mitchell last season, Garland put together a terrific campaign that nearly matched his All-Star season in the stat book. He averaged over 21 points per game and 8 assists a night between his third and fourth year, knocking down the three-ball around 40% of the time while cutting down his turnovers.