HOUSTON — Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland wants to be an All-Star again — and believes he deserves a spot on the team alongside backcourt mate Donovan Mitchell.
“I should be an All-Star,” Garland told cleveland.com Thursday morning following shootaround at Houston’s Toyota Center. “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?”
That is a complicated question. The answer will be revealed on Feb. 2.
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Garland’s All-Star fate is now in the hands of 29 NBA head coaches. Cleveland Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff can’t vote for his own guy. But Bickerstaff has a pitch prepared for his peers.
“He 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.”
Named a first-time All-Star last year when the game was held in Cleveland, Garland led the locker room celebration for Mitchell Thursday night, as the 26-year-old dynamo was announced as one of two Eastern Conference All-Star starters. Garland slapped Mitchell on the backside, shouted with joy and said how much he deserved the recognition. Garland wasn’t thinking about anything else at that moment. Not about where he ranked among the East guards. Not even about Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving as the other backcourt starter — and how that will likely hurt Garland’s chances.
With Irving’s well-established reputation as a malcontent, divider, non-defender and off-the-court lightning rod, it was fair to wonder whether coaches would ignore the baggage and reward him with a spot — even though the marvelous offensive numbers point to him being an obvious choice. After all, he hadn’t been named an All-Star since 2020-21 — in part because of the never-ending drama. To some, Irving was on the All-Star bubble, potentially leaving one of the theoretical guard spots open for someone else.
Not anymore. Irving is in. Same with Mitchell.
When it comes to reserves, coaches will pick two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards from either positional group.
Seven total slots in each conference.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid — bumped from the starting group by Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and injured Brooklyn Nets sniper Kevin Durant — is a lock.
In most seasons, Embiid would have heard his name called Thursday night. There’s an argument he should have. He was one of three selections on the cleveland.com official ballot. Tatum and Durant were the others. But because the NBA correctly designated Embiid, Durant, Antetokounmpo and Tatum frontcourt players only, it led to one of the most grueling starter votes ever.
Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown is in too. Not only does Boston have the league’s best record, which warrants multiple All-Stars, but the shooting guard is enjoying a career year nearly across the board — points (26.8), field goal percentage (48.9%), 2-point percentage ( 58%), free throw percentage (78.5%) and rebounds (7.1). He’s the No. 2 options on one of the league’s title favorites. It’s a no-brainer.
Indiana Pacers maestro Tyrese Haliburton, who received cleveland.com’s vote as the second backcourt starter next to Mitchell, is Salt Lake City bound as well. Book it.
There’s no way the coaches ignore how Indiana, once surprisingly occupying a playoff spot, has crumbled without Haliburton, going just 1-7 since Jan. 13 and dropping below .500. At one point this season, before his untimely injury, Haliburton was even getting MVP buzz. He leads the league in assists and ranks top 15 in every impact-related metric.
Embiid, Brown and Haliburton are certainties. That means only four spots left. And, at most, two in the backcourt.
James Harden. DeMar DeRozan. Trae Young. Jrue Holiday. Jalen Brunson. Garland. That’s just the guard list.
There’s also Miami teammates Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, New York bruiser Julius Randle who is enjoying a bounce-back season for the better-than-expected Knicks, Orlando rookie Paolo Banchero, Washington’s Kyle Kuzma, Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic and, ahem, one-time Cleveland All-Star Jarrett Allen. That cluster of talent is in the mix for the three frontcourt reserve spots while also posing a threat to snag at least one of the wild cards.
From that list, Adebayo, Siakam, Butler and Harden seem most likely. But DeRozan will get consideration. He would be next in line followed by Young and then, maybe, one of the Knicks. It’s a difficult number crunch and Garland, who is 11th among East guards in scoring, fifth in assists and third in total plus-minus will probably get squeezed.
Among guards, Garland, who just turned 23 years old Thursday, finished sixth in media voting, seventh in player voting and 10th among fans. While it doesn’t mean coaches will see it the same way, it’s noteworthy that he had a lower weighted score than Harden, DeRozan and Young — the three other guards who now pose the biggest threat to Garland’s chances.
“I haven’t been thinking about it,” Garland told cleveland.com. “Just coming out here and hooping. But it would mean a lot. Another All-Star appearance would be super cool. It would mean a lot to make it twice in a row. It’s not up to me though.”
Garland is averaging a career-high 21.8 points on 44.9% from the field and 40% from 3-point range to go with 8.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He has three games with at least 40 points and 12 double-doubles. With him on the court, the Cavs have an offensive rating of 116.8 — the equivalent of the third-ranked Celtics. It regresses to 113.1 with him off — in line with the 16th-ranked Minnesota Timberwolves. While not nearly the drastic drop-off as last year, it’s still a notable difference.
“I think what makes him an All-Star is not only his ability to score the ball but his willingness to pass,” said teammate Lamar Stevens. “There are not many guys in the league, let alone the East, who are doing what he does at a high level. I think he’s one of the best point guards in the league.”
Mitchell and Garland have combined to form one of the league’s most daunting duos, helping the Cavs rise up the Eastern Conference standings.
Will they team up in Salt Lake City for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game too?
Mitchell certainly thinks so. He has been leading that campaign for almost two weeks, starting with his proclamation in the locker room following the Jan. 12 wins against Portland and a continuation each time he talks about his backcourt mate.
“He’s special,” Mitchell said of Garland. “He can get into the paint and create. His ability to create I think jumps out to me even more. How he goes about it, that’s a sign of a true leader. To watch him continue to take that step, he’s been playing really well. Really, really well. That’s why he should be an All-Star. I believe he’s going to be. And I think you’ve seen the level that he’s continued to take his game up to, especially when I’ve been out.”
Thursday was the latest example. With Mitchell nursing a groin injury that sidelined him for the fourth time in the last five games, Garland shredded Houston’s paper-thin defense. He finished with an easy 26 points on 9 of 16 shooting and 5 of 8 from 3-point range to go with nine assists, four rebounds and three steals.
“Darius has continued to grow and this is a place where we have seen him grow the most is understanding the moment and understanding each game and how it is different and what it takes from him,” Bickerstaff said following the 113-95 win over the Rockets. “How to be a tone-setter. Tonight I think he was.”
The thought of being in Salt Lake City with Mitchell — given the hoopla that will surround that weekend because of Mitchell’s five brilliant years with the Jazz and all the emotions tied to his return — makes Garland excited. But as he said, it’s out of his hands. All he can do is continue to show why he’s worthy with his play on the court.
“I know it would mean a lot to Donovan and he’s been pushing for it,” Garland said. “He doesn’t want to be the only one there in Utah. I know he supports me and wants me to be there with him. But wherever the chips fall they fall.”
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