Darius Garland is one of the young players in the NBA to keep an eye on in the upcoming season. Garland had a good year last season in his second season averaging 17.4 points, 6.1 assists, shot 45.1% and 39.5% from three. This, combined with his good offseason, has created a lot of hype for his third season.
Rumors have swirled that Garland’s play has improved in the offseason and he got a little taller. He was close to making the Team U.S.A. roster in the Summer Olympics. Various NBA executives and players have cited Garland could be in for a breakout season in the 2021-22 NBA season. Recently, one of the NBA’s best point guards complemented Garland’s game.
In this week’s episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast”, Simmons and ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Jackie MacMullan were discussing Cleveland’s roster for next season. Simmons and Lowe were both discussing how they like the roster the Cavs have built. Afterwards, MacMullan said she had a recent interview with Stephen Curry and asked him if he’s been reaching out to any young players in the league. MacMullan said Curry mentioned Garland in response and really likes his game,
“he loves darius garland, a lot. a lot, a lot, alot. he thinks that kid’s going to be a flat-out star.”
Curry will likely go down as one of the NBA’s best point guards of all time. Also, Curry’s game obviously was part of the reason the three-pointer has become so vital in modern basketball. For Curry to gush about Garland’s game, he must really believe in his skillset. Which clearly means a lot, considering Curry is one of the best out there.
Out of all NBA veterans who could have complemented Garland, Curry being the one is interesting. Simply because Garland was lightly compared to Curry in the NBA Draft process. What made Garland’s game so appealing was his ability to shoot the ball, create his own shot and distribute the ball. Overall, Garland had the ability to be a great playmaker.
Garland is not Curry by any means, it’s highly unlikely anyone can ever replicate what Curry’s done. However, Garland did flash some similarities to Curry during last season. As seen in the following clip, Garland is not uber-athletic, which is similar to Curry. Yes, Garland does have good quickness, but he’s not going to jump out of the gym like other NBA guards. Garland just has the knack to find his spots and create space off the dribble.
https://twitter.com/LandesBrock/status/1440695782768668682
Alongside his ability to create space, Garland has a very nice floater, and his jump shot has a quick release. Garland has a nice handle on the ball, allowing him to weave through traffic.
With that said, it’s quite interesting Curry was the one to praise Garland. Could it be because Curry sees a little of his game in Garland? It seems very possible. Over the offseason, there was a sense that Cleveland now views Garland as their franchise centerpiece. Well, Curry’s complements only further emphasize why Garland could be a star in the NBA.
As the NBA regular season draws near, the hype surrounding Garland is only increasing. Fans are excited to see what he will bring, as well as the Cavs franchise. He has a real shot to breakout this season. His journey for stardom begins October 20th against the Memphis Grizzlies.
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