Cavaliers select Darius Garland

The Cleveland Cavaliers bought into one of the popular waves around the league and took a player with their first-round pick that could in theory suit that style with the selection of Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland with their fifth overall pick.

Garland is hoped to be part of the two "Ball Handler" backcourt with last season's top pick Collin Sexton that the Cavaliers hope to run out as the core pieces of their rebuild and if that works, it could be very effective.
However, I have questions with one looming largest- Can Garland and Sexton actually play on the floor together?
Sexton was rated by some analytics numbers as the worst defensive player last season in the league and now you expect to place a player beside him that was considered to have defensive problems on the same scale entering the draft?
The whole two ballhandler scheme never gets off the ground, if the two guards cannot stop anyone and therefore you are afraid to put them on the floor at the same time.


You also have to wonder just what the Cavaliers are getting, mainly because Garland played only five games in his freshman year at Vanderbilt after suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Therefore the data is very limited, but Garland was the hot name as the draft neared and the injury looks to be behind him.

The positives for Garland are his offensive game where he's an excellent shooter, good in the open court, handles the ball well and with the exception of needing some work finishing around the basket doesn't shy away from contact.
The son of former NBA guard Winston Garland (which I didn't know until Garland had been selected) has been mentioned as having problems "facilitating", which is another term that is suddenly being used often in league circles as involving others in the offensive setup.
That problem can be overcome with work and experience, but I'm still wondering about two players that seem to need the ball to be effective playing together efficiently and both being questionable defensively.
Both players could improve and solve some worries, but if in the end, Garland and Sexton cannot play together, I'm not sure the Cavaliers made the right move here.
Can the Cavaliers afford to have perhaps their two best players (eventually) play on different units?
I'd tend to lean towards no, but time will tell with that and after all, the Cavaliers are far from contention and by the time that contender status arrives, the problem will either be gone or have to be dealt with through a trade.

As far as the player's talent, I'm more than fine with Darius Garland, the concern is the fit.
Let's see how it works out.
Back soon with the Cavaliers other first-round picks.-That's right. Picks.