Did the Cavs get the Second Best Player in the Draft?

Overtime Heroics Editorial

2229 days ago

Is it possible the Cavs ended up with the second-best player in the draft? The Cavalier’s plan to start the season was the playoffs again to grow the young players through playoff experience. The problem? A roster built to complement the greatest player in the game now in LA and added youth via trade. Then Kevin Love goes down with an injury. Fate sealed to 19 wins and potentially the number one pick in the draft. While not the goal this could have sped up the now clear rebuild. A talent like Zion Williamson can do that, but alas it wasn’t meant to be as the Cavs fell to fifth overall. In a draft viewed as having three top players and then the rest, this was not ideal. However, then came chatter before the draft about the player the Cavs eventually took fifth overall, Darius Garland.

Draft Chatter

Darius Garland will conduct a last-minute workout in Tarrytown with the New York Knicks tomorrow, a source told ESPN. Garland is in serious consideration for the No. 3 pick. Minnesota, Boston, Chicago are teams looking at potentially trading up to No. 4 with Garland in mind.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 18, 2019

The Knicks, who gobble up point guards like Pac-man does ghosts, hauled Garland in for a last-minute workout just before the draft. Multiple teams also considered trading up to the fourth pick to grab him, per Jonathan Givony. The keen interest shows teams believe in the talent even though Garland was limited to five games for Vanderbilt due to injury. There was much chatter after the draft that executives around the NBA thought a healthy Garland could have gone second overall challenging Ja Morant for the best point guard in the draft. Garland received offers from top programs Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and UCLA and instantly became the centerpiece of Vanderbilt’s offense.

Cavs high on Garland

Cavs GM Koby Altman spoke with Terry Pluto of cleveland.com, stating:

“When we saw him work out and saw him take 30-footers and just flick them like it was nothing. It was like, ‘OK, how can this work out?’ We started to get fascinated with the idea (of Sexton and Garland playing together).”

Altman also states the Cavs front office felt Garland was one of a few players with all-star potential in this draft. They were sold on Garland long before they took him fifth overall. The Cavs saw plenty of pro potential through the five games Garland played. Averaging 16.2 points and 3.8 rebounds a game is one thing, but the .478 shooting percentage from 3-point range and some of the best ball-handling skills in the 2019 draft class is what impresses. Garland looks every bit the part of the modern NBA point guard. In the end, the Cavs believe in the talent and that Darius Garland is as good as some of the NBA GMs and talking heads believe he can be.

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