Report: Many in Cavs organization believe Darius Garland is team’s best player

Despite a third consecutive poor season, the Cleveland Cavaliers do have talented players on the roster, with guard Darius Garland considered to be the best by many in the Cavaliers organization.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com answered questions from fans, with one asking about the “core four” of the team, which consists of Garland, Collin Sexton, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro.

“While the Cavs have a young core, I think there are legitimate questions about the ceiling,” Fedor wrote. “They need a focal point, someone to build around instead of with. As it stands, point guard Darius Garland is most important. After a lousy rookie season, he made big strides as a sophomore. He displayed the playmaking skill set that has many within the organization believing he’s already the team’s best player. Expectations are he will only get better with more confidence and experience.”

Garland is just 21 years old and took major strides during the 2020-21 campaign after a bumpy rookie year that was one year removed from his injury-plagued college career.

For the past season, Garland improved his numbers across the board, averaging 17.4 points, 6.1 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. In addition, he connected on 45.1 percent of his shots from the field and 39.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Despite those numbers, the Cavaliers were plagued by injuries that resulted in them winning just 22 games on the season, after having won 19 in each of the past two years.

Depending on which route the Cavaliers take in this year’s draft, Garland could be joined by another talented young guard. If that happens, Garland will be able to offer counsel to that player after the progress that was made by him this season.