Donovan Mitchell with the Utah Jazz – Tim van Straten, Sportscasting.com.

After a disastrous playoff run against the Mavs this past post-season, the Utah Jazz finally divorced star point guard Donovan “Spida” Mitchell.

Mitchell now joins a Cleveland Cavaliers backcourt with star point guard Darius Garland. The Mitchell-Garland backcourt’s offensive power, combined with the dominant Allen-Mobley defensive frontcourt, will flash plenty of thunderous dunks, smooth floaters, and lethal splashes. However, the Eastern Conference, in which the Cavs compete, strengthens by the day as various contenders–Sixers, Buckets, Nets (assuming they resolve their drama), Heat, and Celtics–prime their backcourts for a championship, thus raising uncertainty about the Cavs’ new guard duo.

What assets does Spida offer?

Mitchell vs. the Nuggets in the 2020 playoffs – utaafalk, NBA.com.

Mitchell’s scoring prowess alone can carry a whole franchise to moderate success. While Mitchell averages about 23.9 PPG (points per game) in the regular season, his scoring explodes to 28.9 PPG in the post-season–he averaged 36.3 PPG on a ridiculous 70% true shooting against the Denver Nuggets in 2020.

Mitchell’s playmaking and ability to create open shots for his teammates is rather interesting. 4.7 APG (assists per game) and 3.2 TPG (turnovers per game) may suggest that Mitchell fumbles the ball over to the other team nearly as much as he passes it to his own teammates, but these numbers don’t portray the full story. Mitchell’s scoring gravity and elusive ball handling can attract defenders toward him, which leaves teammates open for dunks and three-pointers.

How will Mitchell work with Darius Garland?

Having Mitchell and Garland–two extremely ball-dominant guards–on the roster will require adjustments in ball-handling duties. However, both guards possess elite scoring and playmaking potential, opening room for increased off-the-ball movement.

The Mitchell-Garland duo – Jason Simpson, Cavaliers Nation.

The Cavs coaching staff will designate Garland to point guard duties such as ball-handling and playmaking. On the stat sheet, Garland’s assist numbers improved from 6.1 APG to 8.6 APG–an impressive 2.5 APG increase with basically no change in turnovers. This tighter ball-handling would allow Garland and the Cavaliers to better expand the half-court for more efficient scoring opportunities; for example, Garland’s floor expansion can allow Mitchell to run down the lane for an arena-shaking alley-oop or create space on the perimeter for an easy three points.

Beyond just being a stout playmaker, Darius Garland is an equally lethal scorer. This past season, Garland shot on 48.9% of his
floaters (shots that are 3-10 feet from the rim) and 38.3% from the three-point line, suggesting his ability to score from anywhere on the court. Adding another scoring threat in Donovan Mitchell to the roster would only improve Garland’s efficiency as opposing defenses would now have to worry about two hyper efficient scorers who can earn points from anywhere on the court.

Even though the offensive potential is limitless, the Mitchell-Garland duo raises concerns on the other end of the floor: defense. Both players are 6’1”, so opposing guards will easily score on these undersized guards by dominating physically. However, Mitchell and Garland will split their time with ball-handling and scoring duties, so they can expend more energy on the defensive end. Mitchell’s insane 6’10” wingspan, along with the reduced offensive workload, can allow him to pick off opposing team’s ball-handler more easily for efficient transition points.

So…how does this new backcourt fare?

The Mitchell-Garland will certainly rank as one of the best guard duos in the Eastern Conference–let alone the NBA. Housing the league’s two premier offensive guards creates limitless potential for exciting madness on the scoring and playmaking front. Although the duo’s shaky defensive outlook alarms concern, the Cavaliers’ elite backcourt of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley will cover these flaws. With these off-season upgrades, the Cavaliers may finally be ready to make a competent championship run after Lebron James’s departure.