Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland made his case for the All-Star game before a 113-95 win over the Houston Rockets, Cleveland.com Cavs reporter Chris Fedor wrote in a Friday article.
“I should be an All-Star,” Garland told cleveland.com Thursday morning. “My numbers are kind of similar to last year. We’re a lot better as a team this year. We have aspirations for the playoffs and we’re in as of now.
“Why wouldn’t I be an All-Star?”
Darius Garland’s numbers are nearly identical to his production the year before. He is scoring 21.8 points per game this season, 0.1 more than the year before, while earning 0.4 less rebounds per game, 0.6 less assists per game, 0.6 less turnovers and the exact same amount of steals and blocks, according to Basketball Reference. The 23-year-old guard is shooting 1.3% less efficiently from the floor and improved his 3-point shooting by 1.7% from the 2021-22 season.
Guard Donovan Mitchell became an All-Star starter for the first time in his young career when he was selected to the team before last night’s matchup. Milwaukee Bucks forward and All-Star captain Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Nets guard Kyrie Irving made up the other four Eastern Conference All-Star starters.
Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who said Darius Garland “can do the dance with anybody” following a 125-117 win by the Brooklyn Nets, backed up the Cavs star guard when asked about the 2022 All-Star’s case.
“(Garland) impacts winning,” Bickerstaff said when asked to state Garland’s All-Star case. “That is what we, as coaches, value. We want guys to represent the right things and Darius represents all the right things. He’s selfless. He’s a great teammate. He’s a hell of a player, on top of all those things. He’s what we want players to be. He’s helping a team win at a level that I think should be recognized.”
