Hey Now, He’s An All-Star: Cavs’ Darius Garland Selected As Reserve

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland won’t have to travel very far to make his first All-Star appearance. All he needs to do is show up to his usual home arena.

But Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will have a different feel for Garland on Feb. 20. The floor will look different, the stands will be filled with basketball greats and celebrities, and Garland won’t be wearing a uniform that says “Cavs” on the front.

Instead, his jersey will read “All-Star,” because after being selected by the coaches as a reserve on Thursday, an All-Star is exactly what Garland will be — and in just his third season to boot.

The All-Star Game and NBA’s 75th Anniversary celebration is indeed being held in Cleveland this year. The Cavs deserved at least one representative, and not just because they’re hosting the event.

More so, it’s because they have turned into the most pleasant surprise of the Eastern Conference, and along with the Grizzlies out West, one of the absolute best stories in the entire NBA.

Garland is a major reason why. Everyone predicted he would have a breakout season, and everyone was right. 

At just 22-years old, Garland is averaging career-highs of 19.8 points and 8.2 assists in 44 games. He is shooting 47 percent from the field, including 37 percent on 3-pointers.

He isn’t the only reason the Cavs (31-21) have been humming, of course. It’s taken a team, with the likes of rookie Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Kevin Love, Lauri Markkanen, coach J.B. Bickerstaff and everyone else playing a role. (A lot of people will tell you Allen should have been an All-Star too.)

But Garland holds the keys to it all, directing the offense while capably putting up points himself.

For a complete list of All-Star reserves and starters, and other weekend information, visit this link.