Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland indicated that he’s been tapping into the deep basketball minds of LeBron James and Chris Paul during All-Star Weekend.
Darius Garland said he’s been picking the brains of LeBron James and Chris Paul during #NBAAllStar weekend and is hoping to learn how to take his game to another level.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) February 19, 2022
This season, Garland is an All-Star for the first time in his career. This year’s All-Star festivities are happening in Cleveland, where Garland has played all of his NBA seasons so far.
James is starting in Sunday’s All-Star Game. Paul was selected as a reserve. Both players are destined for spots in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after they close out their respective careers.
For Garland, having such close access to highly respected veterans like James and Paul can only benefit him as he continues with his best season yet. Garland has become one of the top young players in the league.
Garland was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. After being drafted by the Cavs, he experienced two straight losing seasons to start his career.
However, this season, the Cavaliers currently boast a 35-23 mark, which ties them for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Garland has been a central factor in the team’s resurgence, which helps explain why he was chosen to play in the All-Star Game. In his 47 games this season, Garland has averaged 20.3 points, 8.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.
The fact that Garland is using All-Star Weekend as a chance to gain some basketball knowledge is certainly a great sign for the Cavs.