Cavs Mailbag: Is Darius Garland Too Passive As A Scorer?

Spencer Davies answers Cleveland Cavaliers fans' questions before Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers at home.

Welcome to Cavs Mailbag! In this daily mailbag, Spencer Davies will respond to fans’ curiosities surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the duration of the 2023-24 season. In order to submit yours, simply send your questions on X to @SpinDavies or via email at spindavies22@gmail.com.

After the Thanksgiving holiday and coming off a blowout loss to the Miami Heat, the Cavs are set to return to action this weekend starting Saturday with a back-to-back home set vs. the Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors.

The wine-and-gold got back to work at practice on Friday, with Donovan Mitchell and Isaac Okoro participating for the first time in a while. Both are listed as questionable for tomorrow's tilt against L.A.

Let's get to your questions:

What do you think of Garland's game plan? I think Garland is the ace in Mitchell's absence. Garland's advantage is shooting, but he has too few three-point attempts. In addition, he focuses on assists rather than solving it directly in clutch situations. Isn't he an elite guard? - @derickderick08

This is a great observation. Darius Garland has been playing better with each game. When he gets going downhill, defenses have to put their attention on him. The angles he uses to drive and the hang dribbles he pulls out to keep guys off balance are his most dangerous weapons. Garland disguises a lot of his plays between whether he's going to lob or use a floater over the top. (He's got a great feel for backboard angles.)

Something to keep an eye on too is his ability to work off the ball. When Craig Porter Jr. has been in the game with him, Garland has gotten busy with V-cuts and finding ways to get open with momentum toward the basket. That's key for secondary actions where he can create and score as well, but yes, he has to look for his own more often. That goes together nicely when Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are acting as hubs at the top of the key.

Overall, I think Garland is getting a feel for his game again and starting to adjust to his new teammates. He could be better about just letting it fly from deep in certain situations though, especially when Mitchell is back and draws all that attention. I agree.

Nov 22, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) brings the ball up court during the second half against the Miami Heat at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

How will the team/coaching staff handle the (hopefully soon) Ty Jerome return and the questions it could pose for Porter Jr.’s sudden emergence as a reliable rotation player? How will they handle Okoro’s hopeful return as well when it comes to deciding the rotation? - @fungible1944

It's an interesting question. Ty Jerome is still away from action with a sprained right ankle, so it could be a little while before the team has to worry about that. As far as Porter's role with guys coming back, it certainly sounds like the Cavs are going to keep him in the mix. After Friday's practice, J.B. Bickerstaff indicated that the rookie's earned an opportunity despite a crowded guard room.

When Okoro officially comes back, my guess would be that he'd be on a minutes restriction in the coming weeks. Concerning his reintigration into the rotation, it likely won't be any different than we've seen. He's going to be the primary backup 3, which may take some time away from Dean Wade depending on matchups. Georges Niang would probably shift back to more minutes at the 4 as well. It will honestly depend on who the Cavs face and their personnel.