Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland need to show more consistency
This season will determine the backcourt’s long-term viability together.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ backcourt redundancy has understandably been a huge topic of conversation. Head coach Kenny Atkinson’s job is to make that fit work. Two small, ball-dominant guards generally don’t have a lot of success in terms of winning in the NBA, so the question becomes would the Cavs be better off splitting the two up?
The Cavs seem to believe that this duo can still fit together even though those outside of the organization seem to feel differently. This showed through in rumors of an eventual split coming out after their second-round exit at the hands of the eventual champion Boston Celtics.
Garland had a nightmare season that included a broken jaw that caused him to miss two months and lose 12 pounds. It was arguably his poorest season since his infamous rookie campaign, where most metrics had him as one of the worst players in the league.
Oftentimes last season, it felt that Garland could not get into a rhythm playing next to Mitchell, especially in former coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s much-maligned offense. It felt like a lot of your turn, my turn offense between the two. Garland would find himself watching Mitchell work most possessions, instead of moving off ball and keeping the defense in rotation.
This problem showed through in the lineup data. In lineups with Mitchell on the court and Garland off it last season, the Cavs had an overall net rating of +8.4. When Mitchell was off and Garland was on, the team’s net rating was just +1. When both of them were on the court together, Cleveland had a net rating of +5.7.
These issues reared their ugly head in the playoffs. Lineups with Mitchell and Garland had a net rating of -3.8 across the two playoff series. When Garland was off and Mitchell was on, the team had a net rating of +8.4. When the roles reversed, Cleveland had a net rating of -18.6. It was the second postseason in a row where the duo had a negative net rating on the court together.
Last season for the backcourt duo was a rough one, but also context has to be looked at. Garland never found a groove throughout the whole season and the team played its best stretch of basketball when he was sidelined and Mitchell was playing MVP-level basketball. Garland was never able to reintegrate himself into the Cavs’ offense and was playing catch-up the whole season. Playing postseason basketball underweight, especially given the heightened physicality, is not easy for a smaller guard.
On the other side of it though, when Garland was healthy in 2023, he and Mitchell co-existed very well. Cleveland had a net rating of +8.9 when both guards were on the court and Garland also had the most efficient season of his career. He was the only player in the NBA to average 20 or more points, seven or more assists, and shoot over 40% from three-point range.
Both players have shown the ability to coexist on the court together when both are healthy. Not a lot of stock should be put into the numbers from last season due to Garland having a lot going against him. It is fair to say though that he and Mitchell need to find a way to both be productive in the playoffs for Cleveland to take the next step.
Garland and Mitchell have both committed to Cleveland. This would leave you to believe they still think it could work between them. There is data that supports this despite how things ended last season.
Atkinson’s new system emphasizing pace, space, and shooting, should play into the strengths of Garland and Mitchell, more so than the system that Bickerstaff ran. But will they thrive when it matters most? The answer to that question will determine whether they’re viable long-term.