Darius Garland didn’t make it to the All-Star team this 2022-23 campaign. However, head coach JB Bickerstaff is confident his superstar will use it as a motivation for the rest of the season.
Garland wasn’t among the East All-Star reserves announced last Friday, with the likes of Jrue Holiday, Tyrese Haliburton and Jaylen Brown getting the available backcourt spots. Donovan Mitchell did get the nod as a starter for the annual event, though it’s definitely surprising Garland didn’t make it considering that he’s a huge part of Cleveland’s strong start to the season.
Bickerstaff feels Garland should have been selected as well, but he is not worried how it will impact the young guard. In fact, knowing the 23-year-old, he sees Garland using the snub as a fuel to improve.
“He’s a really, really nice person, but he’s a killer and he has the ability to internalize that and use it for gasoline,” Bickerstaff said, per sideline reporter Serena Winters.
Darius Garland is averaging 22.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game for the Cavs, definitely All-Star worthy numbers. However, with Mitchell taking the spotlight and Cleveland being up-and-down in recent games, it didn’t bode well for the guard’s All-Star chances.
As JB Bickerstaff said, though, it doesn’t look like it will bother Garland. He knows how the NBA works and that there will always be snubs. The important thing is he lets his game do the talking, and it seems that’s exactly what he’ll do.
