Darius Garland named Eastern Conference player of the week

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The NBA announced today that Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 3 (games played Monday, November 4, through Sunday, November 10). This is Garland's second career player of the week honor (once in 2021-22), making him the seventh player in Cavaliers history to win the award multiple times, joining LeBron James (42), Kyrie Irving (4), Donovan Mitchell (4), Andre Miller (2), Terrell Brandon (2), and Mike Mitchell (2). Garland’s recent honor also marks the 69^th time a Cavalier has ever won the weekly award, and the second consecutive week a Cavalier has earned player of the week, following Donovan Mitchell's win in Week 2.

Garland led the Cavaliers to a perfect 4-0 record this past week, extending the team’s overall record to an NBA-best and franchise-record 11-0 start to the season. Cleveland became just the 12th team in league history to win their first 11 games of a season and the first since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors. During the week, Garland averaged a team-high 25.0 points, 7.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.8 minutes while shooting a remarkable .617 from the field, .576 from three-point range, and .875 from the foul line. The 24-year-old was the only player in the East to average at least 25.0 points while shooting at least .600 from the field and .500 from three-point range this past week. Among Eastern Conference leaders, Garland ranked second in three-pointers made (19), second in plus/minus (+49), fourth in three-point percentage (.576, min. 10 attempts), sixth in assists per game (7.3), seventh in field goal percentage (.617) and tied for seventh in points per game (25.0).

Garland opened the week with a season-high 39 points on 15-22 (.682) shooting from the field, including 7-11 (.636) from beyond the arc, and a game-high eight assists in 35 minutes during Cleveland’s 116-114 win over Milwaukee on Nov. 4. That night, he became just the fifth player in Cavaliers history to tally at least 39 points, seven three-pointers and eight assists in a single game, joining LeBron James (three times), Mo Williams, Kyrie Irving, and Donovan Mitchell. The following contest, a 131-122 victory at New Orleans on Nov. 6, Garland posted a near double-double with 14 points, including 4-6 (.667) shooting from beyond the arc, a game-high nine assists and one block in 30 minutes. During a 136-117 win versus Golden State on Nov. 8, Garland helped the team record its largest halftime lead in franchise history (+41, 83-42) and finished the night with a game-high 27 points on 9-17 (.529) shooting from the field, including 6-11 (.545) from the three-point line, six assists and three steals in 30 minutes, while also passing Irving and Foots Walker (2,115) for fifth place on the Cavaliers' all-time assists list. In the final game of the week, a 105-100 victory over Brooklyn on Nov. 9, Garland helped the Cavaliers overcome a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter and recorded 20 points (8-11 FG) and six assists in 32 minutes. With his second three-pointer in the win over the Nets, he tied Irving (723) for the fourth-most three-pointers made in franchise history.

In 11 games this season, Garland is averaging 20.5 points (.538 FG%, .475 3FG%, .950 FT%), 6.6 assists and 1.18 steals in just 29.5 minutes per contest.  He is the only player in the NBA averaging at least 20.0 points while shooting .500 from the field, .400 from three-point range and .900 from the foul line.