INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- On June 15, a large Cleveland Cavaliers contingent that included general manager Koby Altman, head coach John Beilein, assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff, director of scouting Brandon Weems and director of basketball administration Andrae Patterson walked into Steve Jackson’s gym -- a mini Staples Center that the L.A. Gear CEO and Lakers super fan had built at his Bel Air home.
One of the draft’s top prospects was waiting for them.
The Cavs were already considering Vanderbilt’s Darius Garland with the No. 5 pick. Beilein had been in favor of a two-PG system, discussing that with members of the organization since his hire on May 13. A few of Cleveland’s decision-makers saw Garland as the draft’s top point guard entering the college season and swear he would’ve stayed in that mix, eye-to-eye with No. 2 pick Ja Morant, had Garland not suffered a season-ending knee injury in his fifth game as a freshman.
Still, this was an important day. It was Cleveland’s chance to see Garland. In person, not in the film room -- where they had spent countless hours dissecting Garland’s game.
No pressure, right?
“There was a little bit of pressure because the whole staff came, and that really meant a lot to me when the whole staff come out that they were really interested,” Garland said during his introductory press conference on Friday afternoon at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “I knew I had to kind of put on a show for them.”
That he did. Altman said Garland flicked 30-footers like it was nothing. According to one person who was in attendance, Garland went at least five minutes without missing a shot.
The 15-footers repeatedly splashed through the net. The 20-footers were no problem. He went all around the court and didn’t stop at the 3-point line either. He went where Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson reside, canning long-range, jaw-dropping bombs effortlessly.
“He just kept moving further and further back,” said someone who witnessed the show.
“I was pretty deep out I think,” Garland said, flashing a smile while discussing it.
When the topic of Garland’s workout comes up these days, Beilein still perks up with uncontrollable excitement -- as if he’s transported back to that court where agent Rich Paul holds workouts for clients.
“He was shooting from back in Nashville and we were in California,” Beilein said.
After Garland finished his shooting session, the Cavs were able to get to know him better, learn about the person behind the sweet shooter with a slick handle who became the draft’s great mystery because of a small sample size. Garland’s freshman season ended when he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee during the opening minutes of a Nov. 23 game against Kent State.
Despite the injury, the upside and talent was obvious to the Cavs on tape. But they had some important questions to ask, a few of which went beyond basketball.
That’s part of Cleveland’s process. At the start of that week, the Cavs met with Texas Tech wing Jarrett Culver. They had dinner with him as well. The Cavs were able to sit down with Duke enigma Cam Reddish twice during the pre-draft process -- at the combine and once in Cleveland. They had No. 26 pick Dylan Windler in town for a visit, where he talked to Beilein and had a film session with the coach. Kevin Porter Jr., the 30th pick and third member of this draft class, had a private workout and sit-down on June 9, where the Cavs were able to explore the reasons behind Porter’s suspension at USC and lower-than-usual production for a first-round prospect.
Last Saturday was Cleveland’s chance to dig deeper on Garland. Did he want to play in Cleveland? What did he think about being paired alongside last year’s eighth-overall pick Collin Sexton? What did it take to overcome the injury?
That same day the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers made a trade for Anthony Davis, which involved the No. 4 pick.
Weeks earlier, on lottery night, one member of the Cavs front office believed they had lost their shot at Garland, pegging him as a future Laker. It just made sense. Los Angeles was desperate for shooting. Garland is represented by Klutch Sports, whose star client is LeBron James. Garland was considered one of the top five players in this class. But the New Orleans-LA swap made him available again and Altman discussed the possibility with Paul.
“That’s when we started to become fascinated with that idea,” Altman said. “But you never know how it’s going to shake out.”
Less than a week after New Orleans’ deal with the Lakers, the Atlanta Hawks moved up to No. 4 for Virginia’s De’Andre Hunter -- a player the Cavs were also considering -- and the decision at five became more clear. Cleveland went with Garland over Culver.
The vision is Garland and Sexton becoming similar to Portland’s talented duo Lillard and CJ McCollum. That’s a lot to ask. There’s no guarantee the chemistry clicks immediately. There’s no way of saying one of Garland or Sexton will rise into Lillard’s stratosphere. But that’s Cleveland’s hope, that its new non-traditional duo can overcome a few size limitations and lead the organization back to prominence.
“They have to be great teammates that see each other, can score for their own, but also find the open shooters,” Beilein said. “The two of them are going to be beautiful together and make me a much better coach than I am.”
More than a year ago, the Cavs had just gotten swept by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. They were sad, angry, exhausted. They didn’t have enough time to regroup and refocus. There wasn’t time to come up with a specific summer plan. Heck, they didn’t even know if James would return in free agency -- although there were plenty of signs pointing to his departure.
That’s when Sexton, a feisty 6-foot-2 point guard, walked into the Cavaliers practice facility in Independence. He uplifted the entire organization and changed their mood instantly.
Sexton went hard in that workout, showing an intensity that few prospects do in a 1-on-0 setting. He sprinted up and down the floor, flashed a better-than-expected jumper and expressed his interest in joining the Cavs. His positive attitude was needed on that once-solemn day.
Sexton’s workout stuck with the Cavs and it was on their mind when the draft arrived. That, along with what the Cavs saw while scouting him throughout the year, led to Sexton getting picked at No. 8.
History seems to have repeated itself with Garland.
“I think I shot the ball really well in the private workout,” Garland said. “Think that’s what caught coach’s eye. I just went out and did me.”
That was more than enough.
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