Donovan Mitchell Celebrates Darius Garland: 'He Went Through a Lot of BS Last Year'

The vibes couldn't be better for the Cleveland Cavaliers following Monday's 110-104 win over the New York Knicks that saw Darius Garland score 15 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to help erase a 13-point second-half deficit.

Speaking to reporters after the victory, Donovan Mitchell praised Garland for how he has started this season after a rough 2023-24 campaign:

"I'm happy for him because he went through a lot of BS last year. You have to learn from it, and you have to grow. Sometimes it's going to suck, and I think he felt that. It's a four-game sample but I have no doubt that's who he is going to be for us this season. That's who he was when he was drafted. That's who he was when he was an All-Star. I know what type of player he is. I know we can fit together. You're seeing it."

Garland finished the game with 34 points, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 33 minutes. His second block helped seal the win when he prevented a Jalen Brunson layup with 1:17 remaining and Cleveland holding a 103-98 lead.

The primary issue for Garland last season was a fractured jaw suffered in a Dec. 14 loss to the Boston Celtics that kept him out for more than six weeks. He said that only being able to eat meals through a straw caused him to lose 12 pounds.

Garland wound up having his worst season by scoring efficiency since his rookie year in 2019-20. He shot 44.6 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three-point range in 57 starts.

Since the Cavs went 15-4 in the 19 games Garland missed due to the jaw injury and the team struggled once again the playoffs, there were questions about whether or not they would look to trade him.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported during the offseason that the San Antonio Spurs tried to trade for Garland, but Cleveland rebuffed any interest in the 24-year-old.

It has proven to be a smart move for the Cavs thus far. Garland is averaging 19.3 points on 54.7 percent shooting (50.0 percent from three), 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game in four starts this season.

First-year head coach Kenny Atkinson has the Cavaliers ranked in the top four in both offensive and defensive rating. This marks the first time they have started a season 4-0 since 2016-17 when they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

The Cavs will look to improve their record to 5-0 on Wednesday when they welcome LeBron James back to Cleveland for a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.