A game between the Cavaliers and the Knicks that ended earlier, the Cavaliers were almost overturned by the Knicks when they were 15 points ahead, but fortunately they still stabilized their positions and finally won the victory 95-93, the Cavaliers' main point guard Darius Garland started 38 minutes, although the feel was not good, only 6 of 19 shots, 6 of 6 three-pointers, only 13 points, but he sent the team's highest 12 assists, under his organizational tandem, A total of four players on the team scored in double figures (not counting Garland himself), and the Cavaliers were able to laugh with the strength of the team.
Eight days ago, Garland had set a record set by James before the Cavaliers, when he had 22 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists against the Nets, even if he had 18 assists with the Thunder before, Garland gave a total of 30 assists in 2 games, becoming the second Cavaliers player in the past 20 years to contribute a total of 30 assists in two consecutive games, and the other was leBron James, the greatest superstar in cavaliers history, it is worth mentioning that before setting this record at that time, Garland has just been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week last week (January 18). And in today's game against the Knicks, Garland scored a double-double of 13 points and 12 assists, which also allowed himself to score assists in five consecutive games, equaling the record set by James in December 2017 (five consecutive games to score assists and double-doubles).
Being able to set two consecutive team records created by James in just 8 days, Garland's perfect transformation this season has really made himself a "new hope" in the Cavaliers' backcourt. Garland, who is only 21 years old, has been playing for the Cavaliers for 3 years, as the first round of the No. 5 show selected by the Cavaliers in 19 years, Garland has been climbing every season after he joined the team, but due to the Cavaliers' other backcourt core Sexton competing with him, deeply affected by the latter's single-handedness, Garland has not been able to show his achievements in organizational tandem in the rookie season, averaging only 3.9 assists per game.
But the reason why the Cavaliers originally took Garland with his No. 5 pick was that he thought that his achievements would be greater than Sexton, and he would help the team with passes, and Garland did not live up to the trust of the team, increasing his assists to 6.1 times in the second season, and this season benefited from Sexton only playing 11 games, which was reimbursed for the season, coupled with the careful teaching of experienced backcourt commanders such as Rubio and Rondo in the backcourt, Garland finally cashed in on his talent in organizing tandem.
As of now, Garland has improved his stats to 19.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists, and the three shooting rates have reached 46.4%, 36% and 91.3% respectively.
It is worth mentioning that the template before Garland's draft is exactly the "Mo Bu Pass" Mo Williams, who once played for the Cavaliers, even in his peak period (08-09 season), he only averaged 17.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, and this season Garland's rampage has indeed far surpassed this old predecessor in terms of data. The Cavaliers have been looking for a reliable backcourt commander since James and Irving left, and now that Garland has risen, they have finally ushered in a backcourt core that can be trusted.