Cavs Opinion: Darius Garland Poised For Big Series Against Magic

Darius Garland scored his season-high 36 points when the Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Orlando Magic back in December of 2023.

Darius Garland has been the target of a lot of criticism by Cleveland Cavaliers fans this season.  There’s no denying that he’s had a tough year, with a lot of that being out of his control. 

He closed out the regular season with a couple of strong performances and looking at Cleveland's first-round matchup (Orlando Magic), DG could be in for a big series on the offensive side of the floor. 

DG has played in three of the Cavs' four matchups with the Magic this season. In those appearances, he’s averaging 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 8.0 assists while shooting 50% from the floor and 39% from behind the arc. 

Those are the numbers that we’re all accustomed to seeing Garland put up. 

Dec 6, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) and forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

DG’s best game came on December 11, 2023, where he dropped 36 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out five assists on the Magic. Even though the Cavs ended up losing the game, Garland showed he has what it takes to give Orlando’s defense a hard time. His 36 points also ended up being a season-high in that department.

The Magic do have several talented defensive-minded guards including rookie Anthony Black, Jalen Suggs, and Cole Anothy who will most likely be taking on the task of guarding Cleveland's starting point guard. Thankfully, Garland has had zero problems going up against either of them in their limited minutes matching up. 

This series could easily come down to which team has the better guard play. Garland is going to need to step up for the Cavs and he proved earlier in the season he can do that against the Magic.