CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cavs are surging up the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings, currently sitting tied as the fourth seed with a 29-20 record.
What makes this run particularly noteworthy? It’s happening without their max-contract star guard, Darius Garland.
This isn’t just a small sample size anomaly. The pattern of success without Garland is becoming impossible to ignore, as cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto highlighted on the latest Terry’s Talkin’ podcast.
“When Garland’s played this year, they’re 13-13. When he’s been out, they’re 16-7. And two years ago, when Garland missed a fair amount of time... without him, they went 17-8,” Pluto said, laying out statistical evidence that has sparked debate among Cavs fans.
The team’s transformation during Garland’s absence has been dramatic.
The defense-first approach has Cleveland holding opponents to around 109 points per game in their seven contests before Wednesday’s win over the Lakers — who they held to 99 points.
That’s significantly below the league average of about 118 points.
In seven of their eight recent wins, they’ve held opponents to just 104 points or less.
More importantly, Pluto says, the Cavs have shifted away from their previous over-reliance on 3-point shooting to a more balanced approach that utilizes their size advantage.
With lineups featuring Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Dean Wade alongside Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs have dominated the paint and controlled the boards.
This success raises a question: What happens when Garland returns from his latest injury?
Pluto offered a solution that might optimize both Garland’s talents and the team’s newfound defensive identity.
“Players like Garland, who’s kind of smaller and kind of thin, but can score some, they tend to thrive being that instant offense off the bench,” Pluto said, proposing that Garland could excel in a sixth-man role.
This isn’t about diminishing Garland’s talent or value, Pluto said.
Rather, it’s about maximizing team performance and addressing a glaring weakness: scoring off the bench. The current reserve unit brings energy but lacks reliable scoring punch.
There’s precedent for this approach working in Cleveland. The Cavs found success with a “tall-ball” lineup a few years ago before the Donovan Mitchell trade when they had Lauri Markkanen alongside Allen and Mobley.
While the idea of bringing a max-contract player off the bench might seem unorthodox, it’s worth remembering that the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award has frequently gone to starting-caliber players who sacrifice for team success. Players like Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson have thrived in this role.
For Garland, who has struggled with injuries and consistency, a sixth-man role could reduce the physical toll on his body while allowing him to dominate against second-unit defenders, Pluto said. It would let him play to his strengths as a scorer and playmaker without compromising the team’s defensive identity.
As the Cavs embark on a five-game Western Conference road trip, the question of Garland’s role upon return looms large. With Mobley now sidelined by a calf injury, the team will face additional challenges to maintain their defensive dominance.
But the numbers don’t lie: Something about this bigger, defense-first approach is working in Cleveland.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
If you have a question or a topic you’d like to see included on the podcast, email it to sports@cleveland.com, and put “Terry’s Talkin’” in the subject line.
You can find previous podcasts below.