Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 reasons for their undefeated start

1. Improved Backcourt

Heading into the season, the accepted narrative was that one of Darius Garland or Collin Sexton had to step up and rightfully earn the spot as starting point guard. After their abomination of a season together last year, it was difficult to see the two thriving next to each other in year two.

But, here we are, with Sexton and Garland both firing on all cylinders as they have opened up the season red hot from the floor.

Darius Garland

We’ll start with the less proven of the two, Darius Garland. The fifth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft had hefty expectations of being an elite shot creator that can pull-up off the dribble and score in bunches. He wasn’t able to do this as a rookie, as poor head coaching and a knee injury factored into him being arguably the worst player in the league.

Thankfully, the nine-month layoff gave Garland all of the time to heal. We heard rumblings that DG looked new and improved during training camp – but nobody expected him to blossom as quickly as he has been.

Garland is averaging 19.0 points, 8.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. More impressively, he’s doing it while shooting 54.8 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from the 3-point line. All of which is a drastic improvement from last season.

While he has looked miles better as a shooter, finisher and defender – it is the playmaking department that has us so excited about DG’s sophomore season. He already dished out a career-high 12 assists versus Detroit and is showing a knack for no-look passes and quick zips to open teammates during his drives to the hoop.

Collin Sexton

Garland has acted as the team’s floor general – but Collin Sexton is rising above as one of the most prolific scorers in his age group. Sexton is picking up right where he left off last season, averaging a blazing hot 27.0 points on incredible 66.7 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 59.3 percent efficiency from the field.

Sexton is perhaps the fastest player in the league, burning rubber in transition and scoring a ton of points when the defense is sleeping. Young Bull has scored the second-most points in transition this season, behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In the past, Sexton’s speed was used as one of his main criticisms. He was too quick for his own good, driving into undesirable positions and getting blocked more than anyone in the NBA. Now, due to all of the muscle he put on in the offseason, Sexton is powerful enough to score on 72.2  percent of his attacks in transition – placing him in the league’s 92nd percentile.

It’s unlikely that Sexton and Garland continue to shoot so potently from the 3-point line – but the signs of growth are there for the two young guards. They have been the driving force behind this Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense and they don’t look to be going anywhere anytime soon.