Cavs commentary: Darius Garland's regression has been troubling

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland has the keys to the team's offense. How he plays and how he distributes the ball dictates how successful the Cavs are. Unfortunately, as of late, Garland hasn't been at his best. That's one reason for Cleveland's lackluster 10-9 record. Remember: This is a team that fashions itself as a championship contender. That's almost laughable after a game like Thursday, when they lost to the 5-12 Portland Trail Blazers. Garland's numbers through 14 games are trending down, with the exception of his career-high field goal percentage of .471. However, his 3-point percentage is a career-low .338, as well as his 3-pointers made (1.6) and attempted (4.6) per game. Garland's 19.1 scoring average is lowest since his second year in 2020-21, and his 5.9 assists is his worst since his rookie year in 2019-20. One number that is soaring, however, is turnovers. He turned the ball over eight times against Portland, which contributed to the Cavs' downfall. It matched his season high against Oklahoma City on Nov. 8. Only two players have turned the ball over more than Garland in the entire league: Atlanta's Trae Young (64) and San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama (63). Garland is tied for third with Dallas' Luka Doncic and Golden State's Stephen Curry with 62. Garland's assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) is one of the worst in the league. He has 15 turnovers in his last three games. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Garland said the Trail Blazers are a long, athletic team. "I was playing in tight spaces," he said. "I tried to make passes that I couldn't." Earlier in the week, he said his mounting turnovers were caused by "carelessness." Basically, he's been trying to make plays that aren't there. He must take care of the basketball. His lackluster play is a major factor in the Cavs' mediocre play. It's been a one step forward, two steps back type of season. "We all know we're a pretty good team," Garland said. "Some days, we have those lackadaisical days. We have to act like a playoff team." Against Portland, the Cavs led by as many as 16 points before allowing the Trail Blazers to blow past them and leave them in the dust. "(We played with) no energy," Garland said. "We didn't play hard enough in the second half. We didn't lock in for the second half. "We have to keep our feet on their neck. We have to play the entire 48 minutes. We have a target on our back. Some days, we come in and just think we're going to get a win over a team like Portland. We have to be ready to play every day." The Cavs' offense was purring early in the game. Once the Blazers started switching everything on defense, Cleveland's offense ground to a halt. Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the players reverted to "isolation basketball." Garland said the ball has to keep moving. "It gets stagnant with some switching teams," he said. " But it starts with him. Cavs shooting guard Donovan Mitchell said it was a "bad loss." "We all hold ourselves accountable for that," he said. "We want to be a championship-caliber team and we're not playing like it. It's the worst loss of the season. Let's go." Mitchell heard the boos in the late going. "It's part of the game," he said. "You expect to come in and perform a certain way and we didn't do that. We didn't play well and that's what you get. "We can either sit here and have this conversation or do something about it. I think we'll do something about it. I know we will. It's a turning point. I think we'll be fine. We'll fix it." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.