5. Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
Many people forgot about Darius Garland after he tore his meniscus just five games into his college career. Those five games were very special, however, special enough to for the Cavs to pull the trigger with the 5th pick in the draft.
Garland didn’t just come out of nowhere, he was the No. 1 point guard recruit in his class, and was always viewed as a top draft prospect. If it weren’t for the injury, we may have been talking about Garland as a top 3 pick.
His offense, primarily his scoring ability, is what separated him as a high school prospect and that showed at the college level too. Garland was ultra-efficient while putting up 16 points per game for Vanderbilt. He converted on nearly 54 percent of his field-goal attempts and 48 percent of his attempts from 3.
The Cavs decided to pair him next to Collin Sexton hoping that they could create their own version of what the Trailblazers have with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. What Garland and Sexton have not yet proved is their ability to set up their teammates. One, or both, of them, is going to have to develop into more of a playmaker if the two are to succeed.
As for his rookie season, Garland will have plenty of opportunities to showcase what made teams fall in love with him prior to his injury. Expect him to be one of the main offensive options on a Cavs team that could be in for a rough season.
Stat Projections: 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 46% FG, 38.5% 3PT