15. Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
The arrival of Donovan Mitchell last season may have prevented Darius Garland from taking another step forward from a statistical point of view, but it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t a better player last season compared to the year before. It’s now been back-to-back seasons that Garland has averaged at least 20 points, eight assists, and three rebounds per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from 3-point range.
The big question is whether Garland has room to grow even further. With Mitchell on the roster, I’m not sure if that will be the case, and that’s one of the bigger reasons why he’s slotted at No. 15 and not higher. It may be a little over-reactionary to say that Garland has already reached his ceiling as a player but at the same time, it may not be completely off.
Garland is a three-level scorer who has proven the ability to be a good playmaker. He struggled at times defensively but he’s the exact type of young point guard that you want as you begin to make strides as a potential dark horse in the Eastern Conference.