Elite Cavaliers Guard Must Be An All-Star This Season

Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers deserves to be an All-Star this year.

Nov 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) celebrates after hitting a three point basket during the first half against the Chicago Bulls at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers are finally starting to get the recognition they deserve, especially after their impressive prime-time victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.

However, a few players on this roster still deserve more love for what this team has accomplished so far this season.

One of the players who elevated the Cavaliers into Finals contention is Darius Garland, and he is more than deserving to be an All-Star this season.

In the most recent All-Star voting update, the Cavaliers had a much better showing than the first returns. But Garland was still ranked incredibly low on the list.

Cleveland's point guard came in at ninth among the Eastern Conference guards.

If the All-Star Game is truly about showcasing the best players who are putting together some of the best winning performances of the season, then there's no reason that Garland should not be recognized as one this year.

Jan 8, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) celebrates after hitting a three point basket during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

DG is currently averaging 21.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 43.3 percent from behind the arc.

If these stats continue throughout the regular season, DG will become one of the very few players in NBA history to accomplish a 50/40/90 season.

Sure, LaMelo Ball is averaging nearly 30 points, Damian Lillard has established himself as an all-time great, and Jalen Brunson plays in the large market of New York, but a case can be made that Garland is having a better than all three of these players. Plus, DG's team has the overall success to back up his elite level of play.

Perhaps some fans still think this is the same Garland who struggled in the playoffs at the end of last season, and that's why he's lagging in the fan vote. However, this version of Garland isn't the same player as last year.

DG is healthy and has his confidence back after a challenging 2023-24 campaign, which was difficult for many reasons.

He's currently one of the best players on a historically great Cavaliers team. His talent and success this season should be highlighted on one of the NBA's biggest stages.