Straight to the Point



Cavaliers Bolster Backcourt, Tab Garland and Windler in 2019 Draft

Darius Garland didn’t bring a big body of work in the NBA Draft process. But the Wine & Gold brain-trust saw all they needed to see to make him the 5th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft.

The lithe point guard from Vanderbilt, who played just five collegiate contests, has arguably the purest shooting stroke in his class and will pair with Cleveland’s top pick from last June – Collin Sexton – to form what could be the most dynamic young scoring backcourts in the Conference.

“We were fortunate that there was a substantial amount of data with (Garland) in terms of games played – whether that be high school, EYBL, the Hoop Summit, high school all-star games – and we got to watch every single minute he played in college,” said Cavs GM Koby Altman. “He's just a dynamic talent who knows how to play the game.”

”I think what makes this decision a lot easier is because of our head coach – he loves to play the two guard lineups, he calls it a two-guard front, where you have playmakers on both sides.”

As a prep athlete, Garland was a four-time state champion at Brentwood Academy, earning Tennessee Mr. Basketball in each of his last three seasons. He grew two-and-a-half inches from his sophomore to his junior season and, after averaging 28.6 ppg on 60 percent shooting from the floor as a senior, was ranked by 247Sports as the best point guard of his 2018 class.

After his prolific high school run, the son of Winston Garland – who played seven NBA seasons with the Warriors, Clippers, Nuggets, Rockets and T-Wolves – could have attended the college of his choice. But as a youngster growing up in Indiana, Garland attended basketball camps conducted by Bryce Drew at Valparaiso – and eventually followed Drew to Vanderbilt when he was named head coach.

After punctuating his prep career with 11 assists in the McDonald’s All-Star Game, Garland enrolled at Vandy as the top recruit in school history.

Garland got off to a scorching start in Nashville, pacing all scorers with 24 points in a win over Winthrop in his college debut and setting the Vanderbilt freshman single-game scoring mark two games later – pouring in 33 points in a win over Liberty.

Darius Garland poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the fifth overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

But that would prove to be the final full game of his college career – injuring his left meniscus against Kent State that sidelined him for the season and marked the beginning of his preparation for the 2019 Draft.

”Is it ideal that (Garland) only played five games?” reasoned Altman. “No, but it doesn't diminish his talent level, and he's healthy and we're excited to bring in the town.”

He didn’t have a long college career, but he made an impression – averaging 16.2 points and 2.6 assists per contest, shooting 48 percent (11-for-23) from beyond the arc. He’s a master at changing speeds and might have the best handle among anyone in the incoming class.

Garland may not be the explosive, above-the-rim athlete that Ja Morant (who went No. 2 overall) is or an end-to-end speedster like Coby White (taken by the Bulls two picks after Cleveland), but Garland might be more complete than both.

It might have been a West Coast workout for the Cavs staff and front office that pushed Garland over the top – and convinced Cleveland a two-point-guard system might work.

”We brought a huge contingent out to L.A., and in our head we started to become fascinated with that idea,” said Altman. “And when we saw him workout and saw him take 30-footers and just flip them like it was nothing, it was almost like: ‘OK, how could this work out? And so we got started to get fascinated with the idea.”

After snagging their man at No. 5, the Wine & Gold utilized their second first-rounder – No. 26, obtained from Houston at last season’s deadline – on Belmont swingman, Dylan Windler.

And while the college hoops world barely got to know Darius Garland, there wasn’t much Windler could do to prove himself.

Playing his ball just down the street from Vanderbilt, Windler was one of only three Division I players last season to average at least 20.0 points and 10.0 boards per game – piling 18 double-doubles along the way. He ranked third in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring and was its top rebounder.

The Indianapolis native canned 100 triples as a senior on 43 percent shooting. He saved some of his best performances for the toughest competition – leading Belmont to wins over UCLA, Georgia and Vanderbilt.

Windler – who turns 23 in September – guided the Bruins to their first NCAA Tournament appearance and tallied 35 points and 11 boards in a win over Maryland when they got here.

“With Dylan – if you had to check a bunch of boxes that fit Coach Beilein’s system, he fits them all,” said Altman. “But he's tall and he also rebounds. He can make plays off the bounce and he's a lefty, so it sort of gives you unorthodox look. And he truly succeeds with great shooters.

”So when we were sitting at 26, (we wondered): ‘Who's the best shooter in the Draft? He also came in to visit and so we got to see a lot of different things from him.”

The Wine & Gold continue to build their young roster and getting a pair of talented shooters – one with scant experience, one a seasoned collegian – on Draft night expedites the process.

Coach Beilein has already begun shaping the team his way, and in early July, Cleveland’s young guns will head west – to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, respectively – to take the new squad out for a spin.