By james art Darius Garland had a strong start to the season and bounced back well from a tough campaign last year. Garland had a heroic effort Monday night at Madison Square Garden to help the Cleveland Cavaliers earn their first win of the season against the New York Knicks.
Donovan Mitchell isn’t ready to forget those critics of his teammate’s difficult 2023-2024 season in the backfield.
“I just want everyone who’s been on this side to stay on this side when it comes to him. I don’t want there to be a change. I know who a lot of you are,” Mitchell said, via cleveland.com , about the criticism of Garland. “There are times in your career when you have years like that. Obviously, he was experiencing things personally. You have to grow up. You have to understand it. A lot of people said it can’t.
Donovan Mitchell on Darius Garland:
“I just want everyone who’s been on this side to stay on this side when it comes to him. I don’t want it to be a switch— The biggest thing for me is … his defensive effort. Yeah, 34 points, he’s doing that– He’s going to continue to be that guy, but I… pic.twitter.com/16nDkBULkV
— Dylan (@DylanWDesign_) October 29, 2024
Garland’s 34 points against the Knicks sealed the deal as the Cavs completed a double-digit comeback to go 4-0 on the year. It was the former All-Star’s best match in a long time.
“I’m happy for him because he went through a lot of BS last year,” Mitchell continued. “You have to learn from it and you have to grow. Sometimes it’s going to be nasty and I think he felt it.
Garland, 24, suffered a broken jaw last season, forcing him to stick to a liquid diet that resulted in some weight and muscle loss. He hasn’t been able to fully return to his ideal form, but after a full offseason and good health, things are looking up. Mitchell agrees.
“These are probably the best four games we’ve ever put together. It will continue because we will continue to believe in what we can do. There’s a confidence in him this year.”