NBA: 4 third-year players primed for breakout seasons in 2021-22

Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers

Darius Garland is in that group of NBA players that most casual fans don’t even know exist but when you look up his stats or highlights, you wonder why he isn’t more popular. And while a big part of that is because he plays in Cleveland, another part of that is that he’s been partly overshadowed by Collin Sexton.

And part of the reason why I believe Garland is going to have a breakout season is due to the chance that Sexton is traded between now and the start of the season. Even if he isn’t, though, I have high hopes for Garland.

For a scoring guard, there’s a lot to like about Garland. He can score at all three levels and made a healthy jump from his rookie to sophomore season. I believe he’ll break that 20-point-per-game plateau – even more so if Sexton is gone – and that he’s going to emerge as one of the better young players in the league.

The only real drawback for Garland is that he’s only 6-foot-1 and undersized for how he plays. Nevertheless, he’s one of the better young offensive guards in the league.