3 reasons the Cleveland Cavaliers made the right choice with Mitchell

Reason #3: Mitchell and Garland in the backcourt

Garland is one of the most promising young guards in the league. He is a reliable playmaker with great vision who can score on several levels and really grew into his role as a centerpiece of the Cavaliers’ rebuild last season. Garland was also a first-time All-Star and averaged career highs with 21.7 points, 8.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals.

Mitchell, on the other hand, has been an All-Star three times so far and averaged 25.9 points, 5.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals last season. Combined, those two can really cause some trouble for opposing defenders. That said, Mitchell will have to adjust to his new role because he was the focal point of Utah’s offense and the lone young star there.

Now, he will have to share the spotlight with three other rising stars. Once this is sorted out, however, Garland and Mitchell will form a formidable backcourt duo. When Garland had a chance to share ballhandling responsibilities with Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio before they were injured, it brought out the best in him.

With Mitchell, he has a superior backcourt partner who will attract a lot of defensive attention and take some pressure off Garland. Mitchell has become a good passer, but he is not quite as good as Garland yet because he has always been a scorer first and a passer second. Having such a talented point guard as a backcourt partner will allow him to just focus on scoring sometimes and let Garland handle the facilitating.

Both Garland and Mitchell will be able to do what they are best at and support each other on the court, despite the fact that both of them are ball-dominant players and have quite similar skill sets. One problem is, however, that both of them also have similar defensive deficits that will be on full display when they share the court.

Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers ranked fifth in defensive rating throughout the league, and they do not want to fall too far behind that. Mitchell and Garland should put in some work to improve their individual defense and make the lives of their teammates easier. However, Allen and Mobley will be there to support them and clean up most stray scoring attempts, but they cannot rely on the two big men to do all of the defensive work.

Garland and Mitchell have some kinks to work out, but they have the potential to become one of the best scoring duos in the league.