Changes are happening with the Cleveland Cavaliers as the head coaching search will begin shortly following the firing of J.B. Bickerstaff. According to President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman, there should be no expectation of a major change in the backcourt though.

Just one day after the Bickerstaff news, Altman took to the podium at the practice facility in Independence. When asked about the potential of splitting up Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, his response seemed pretty clear.

“I don’t see why we should,” asserted Altman.

The good news for the Cavaliers is that things appear to be headed in the right direction in terms of retaining Donovan Mitchell long-term. This should ultimately be priority number one because Mitchell is a true superstar in a star driven league. The chances of winning big games significantly increases when Mitchell is on the floor.

As for his backcourt counterpart, Darius Garland, he is the one receiving backlash due to a down season. This past season, Garland averaged 18 points per game, 6.5 assists per game and shot 44.6 percent from the field. From three-point range, his average was 37.1 percent and from the free throw line, he made 83.4 percent.

Ultimately, these were still good numbers but not what fans have come to expect of Garland. Here are his numbers from the two prior seasons.

While Garland’s production dropped this past season, it appeared like his confidence was shaken. Not only that, but he was lacking aggressiveness and the desire to drive to the basket. So what could be the root cause of a difficult year for him?

I would argue that the broken jaw was the main issue. Back on December 14th, the Cleveland Cavaliers were playing the Celtics in Boston. As Garland tried to drive at Kristaps Porzingis, the two collided and Garland sustained a fracture in his jaw.

Recovering from this injury was difficult because Garland’s mouth was wired shut for four weeks. He was then confined to a liquid diet and lost 12 pounds. That might not sound like a lot, but that is significant for an athlete.

When Garland’s jaw was finally healed and he was able to return to the court, he certainly looked more lean from a spectators vantage point. Garland worked hard during the season and reportedly gained ten of those pounds back. While he focused on his health, Garland’s scoring presence took a hit.

Prior to the injury, he was averaging 20.7 points per game, which is much closer to what he had been doing the two seasons prior. Taking a step back and evaluating the struggles Garland had to physically power through during the middle of the season, should help put things in perspective.

Athletes at all levels are invested in taking care of their bodies. For professional athletes, if they don’t take care of themselves, then that could be the difference between making money or not. Since entering the NBA, Garland has been working to add weight and muscle due to having a naturally leaner build. In the matter of one month, he lost weight and muscle quickly. That can mess with an athletes’ psyche. Perhaps feeling weaker and a concern about re-injury resulted in the lack of aggressiveness.

Now that the offseason is underway for the Cavaliers, Garland has an opportunity to first add some more weight and muscle and then regain his confidence as a shooter. Physically getting right could get his mind right. The aggressiveness and desire to drive to the lane may return in 2024.

Garland’s star-power is certainly not gone because he showed a flash back to 2022 All-Star Garland against the Boston Celtics in game four of this past series. Without Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen and the Cavs down 2-1 in the series, Garland tried to carry the team to a win. Despite falling just short 109-102, the 24-year-old point guard had 30 points and seven assists.

Clearly Koby Altman and the front office believes that player is still in there and that the Cavs can get consistent performances out of him in the future. As long as Mitchell does return to Cleveland and no team presents an outlandish offer for Garland to the Cavaliers, we should all expect to see this backcourt at least one more time. A confident and aggressive Garland paired with Donovan Mitchell under new leadership could be quite entertaining.

For those complaining about two smaller guards and that not being a championship winning formula, a little patience will be key. Altman expressed on Friday that he believes the data says otherwise.

If things fall apart this coming season, then perhaps next offseason the front office can explore dealing Garland. At minimum, if he can improve in 2024-25, then he can elevate his trade value.