Cavs Top 3: Isaiah Hartenstein debuts in top 3 during Jazz blowout win

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Utah Jazz 117-75 in one of the most one-sided games of the season for the Wine and Gold. The Cavs were unable to get anything going, finding themselves out of the game by the mid-way point of the second quarter, an auspicious start to the Cavs career of Isaiah Hartenstein. Hartenstein got the start for the Cavs due to the injury to Jarrett Allen. Hartenstein is expected to be the primary backup center for the rest of the season, allowing him to earn crucial time with the squad.

The lopsided score did coincide with three of the better players being unable to play. Jarrett Allen was out due to a concussion, Larry Nance Jr. missed the game due to a non-Covid illness, while Kevin Love was once again ruled out as well. Cedi Osman, Dylan Windler, and Quinn Cook all sat out the game again, calling into question what their role on the team will be.

Those who did play didn’t play well, with only Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. Both men were also the only two players to take double-digit shot attempts, with the team as a whole shooting 35% from the floor, and 20% from three.

Top 3 Game Performers

1 Point – Isaiah Hartenstein

Isaiah Hartenstein only hit two shots for five points in his Cavs debut, with one of those two shots being a three-pointer but he did a lot right. He had 14 rebounds, 12 on the defensive side of the floor. He also had seven assists to lead the team, alongside a block. Hartenstein’s scoring was always going to be a challenge to improve but the rest of his skillset really shows you how valuable he could be.

2 Points – Darius Garland

Both starters at guard had mediocre nights. They had their ups and downs for Garland his ups were him hitting 50% from the floor and from three-point while putting up 18 points, five assists, and five rebounds, alongside one steal. Garland, however, had some pretty bad “downs” as he was the point of attack all night for the Jazz’s offense and he never once slowed them down; posting a game plus/minus of -33, second worse on the team.

3 Points – Collin Sexton

Garland had more assists, more rebounds, and hit a better percentage of his shots, that’s true. Sexton only shot 44% from the floor and went 0-5 from three-point. He only had three rebounds, two assists but only had one turnover to Garland’s three. Not only that, but he played better defense and only had a game plus/minus of -18.