Cavs: Darius Garland struggles and 3 other things learned against the Knicks

The Cavs fell to the Knicks on Wednesday in the first of two games in New York, that saw Darius Garland struggle to find his shot.

The Cavs suffered their first loss of the preseason against the Knicks on Wednesday, falling 100-93 in a game that started to show fans what to expect from certain members of the team. The Knicks and Cavs both sat a good portion of their better players for this game, something the Cavs have done in their previous two preseason games.

Kevin Love, Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Larry Nance, Matthew Delevoadova, and Dante Exum all missed this game for various reasons. Though during the Knicks broadcast, the announcers claimed that Kevin Porter was being held out due to disciplinary issues.

That meant that the starting five of the game for the Cavs were Andre Drummond, Thon Maker, Isaac Okoro, Damyean Dotson, and Darius Garland.

So what did we learn from the third preseason game?

Darius Garland struggled with his shot all night but did improve elsewhere

For the first time all preseason, Darius Garland didn’t turn the ball over that much. Garland only had one turnover all game, and five assists. Not a great number, but it’s an improvement. He also played better defense against some weak Knick guards, but it’s still something. He did struggle against the Knicks defense, however, shooting only 4-of-13 from the floor. Though, he was 2-for-3 from three-point.

Thon Maker struggled against the Knicks

If you were to take a stance that Thon Maker wasn’t going to make the Cavs’ final roster, you might not be wrong. Maker had a great first game against the Pacers but has struggled since. He went 1-of-6 from the floor, 0-for-2 from the three-point line, six rebounds, one block, and two turnovers. Those are awful numbers for a man who played 26 minutes.

Andre Drummond is developing a three-point shot

Andre Drummond went 2-for-3 from three-point in this game, something the traditional big man isn’t very well known for. In his career, he’s shot 14.6% from the floor. Already Drummond has hit 3-of-6 for the preseason.

Dylan Windler is solid all around.

Dylan Windler is coming along slowly but surely. After missing all of 2019-2020 the second-year rookie is showing flashes of something special. Windler has been playing solid defense all preseason but each game he seems to find more confidence with his shot. He shot 4-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-4 from the three-point line.