Nick Crain | 1/23/23

Even with NBA League Pass, it’s tough to watch every player across the league closely. The biggest names always rise to the top, but there’s quite a few athletes that are doing incredible things but not getting as much credit as they deserve. Leveraging ProFitX, we can quickly identify players that are flying under the radar or quietly having tremendous seasons. One of those players in the 2022-23 campaign is Darius Garland, who is emerging as a star in this league. What should you know about the Cleveland Cavaliers guard as he continues to rise as an underrated player?

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Current Production Value

The rapid improvement we’ve seen from Garland since he entered the league has been extremely impressive. The rate at which he’s developed made Cleveland comfortable to give him a rookie max extension. In fact, he’s already close to outperforming that deal, meaning by the end of this deal he could be a steal of a contract. The Cavaliers are one of the rising young teams in the NBA, which is certainly in large part due to Garland. It’s been a tough transition this season playing alongside a ball-dominant guard in Donovan Mitchell, but Garland has found ways to make it work at the highest level.

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Key Attributes

On the offensive end, Garland grades high everywhere. Whether it’s scoring the ball or setting up others, he’s great. As a perimeter scorer, he also continues to rise. The 6-foot-1 guard is shooting 39% from deep on more than six attempts per game. This has led to him producing more than 21 points per game this season.

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Important Roles

As a natural lead guard on a team with an incredible amount of talent, a lot of responsibility is on Garland. He’s a great scorer, but also a fantastic facilitator. He’s dished out nearly eight assists per game in the 2022-23 campaign. On the flip side, he’s got some work to do on defense, even though he does play with a high motor and can be a pest on that end of the floor at times.

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Offensive Hot Spots

It’s interesting to see how much better Garland is shooting from the right side of the floor. Even then, he’s effective from nearly anywhere on the entire court. Although undersized, Garland can put pressure on defenses getting into the midrange, as he has converted on nearly 50% of 2s during his career. This season alone, 39% of his shot attempts are from deep and less than 15% are within three feet of the rim. This has resulted in an average shot distance of 15.5 feet.