NBA Draft: Zion Williamson still first in 2019 Redraft

Coming into the 2019 NBA Draft, Darius Garland was one player who rose up many draft boards late. An injury cost him most of his freshman season at Vanderbilt, and initially depressed his value. As the draft cycle rotated and the draft itself approached Garland was a riser as analysts broke down his tape and get excited about his shooting upside. He ultimately went fifth overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Garland has had to find his way in a backcourt alongside another ball-dominant point guard in Collin Sexton, but he has done a solid job so far. He has shot 37.4 percent from 3-point range in his career, up to 39.5 this past season. The great thing for Garland playing beside Sexton is that most of his 3-pointers are assisted (70.5 percent), per PBP stats.

The 6’1″ point guard has also grown as a passer, averaging 6.1 assists per game this past season. Add on really strong scoring chops (17.4 points per game this year) and he is turning into a good offensive point guard who, despite a lack of athleticism can competently run an offense on a good team.

The problem is when you consider the defensive side of the ball. Garland is small and has terrible defensive instincts, helpful generally only when he gambles right for steals. He was a bottom-10 player in Defensive BPM this past season, and the absolute worst player in the metric in 2019-20 (it doesn’t bode well for Cleveland’s defensive future that Sexton is also bottom-10 both seasons as well).

A team like the Phoenix Suns can take Garland at 11 and have a reliable 3rd guard who still has upside to be a starter if he can find a way not to die on defense and improves his personal shot creation. The guards who went above him, namely Tyler Herro and Jordan Poole, have better physical tools, can compete better on defense and possess similar star upside. That drops Garland down to 11, still a solid landing spot for a good player.