Darius Garland may be enjoying the best season of his career as an integral part of the NBA-leading Cleveland Cavaliers, but as a kid growing up in Gary, Indiana, he drew inspiration not from his hometown Pacers or from LeBron James, the star of his future team, but from one of the Cavs’ Central Division rivals.
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Garland’s recent appearance on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis was illuminating for a number of reasons. He discussed everything that has made the Cavs such a dominant team this year, from his own personal work in the offseason to getting on the same page as Donovan Mitchell and to having Kenny Atkinson as a head coach. After that, he moved on to his idol growing up, Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls.
Garland talked about how he used to watch the Bulls because they were his grandmother’s favorite team. He enjoyed watching guys like Kirk Heinrich and Ben Gordon, but he said that Rose was so important to him as a kid that his is the only jersey he’s ever owned.
“That #1 jersey, that was the first jersey I’ve had, and that was the only one I’ve had … D-Rose just had the whole region on lock. From Indiana to Chicago, damn near the whole world.”
Rose’s game inspired Garland in so many ways, even if he couldn’t hope to ever match the athleticism of the youngest MVP in NBA history.
“His explosiveness was insane. He just brought so much excitement to the city. As a young kid, just watching him on a night-to-night basis, it was super cool to see… It just brought so much inspiration for us. We used to lower the goals so I could go dunk like D-Rose.”
Darius Garland is just one of a whole generation of players that were inspired by Derrick Rose
Rose’s career may have been sidetracked by injury, but his accomplishments still reverberate around the NBA. From uber-athletic guards in Rose’s mold like Ja Morant to players like Garland who have overcome knee surgery (he suffered a torn meniscus while in college), Rose’s influence can be seen throughout the league.
Rose was never able to win a championship, but Garland and his 36-6 Cavs are in prime position to make a run at one. Even though he can’t dunk like D-Rose, Garland’s contributions are a big reason why, as he’s averaging 21.1 points and 6.8 assists on a career-best 42.7 percent shooting from three. He’ll face a huge test tomorrow night when the Cavs travel to Houston to take on the 28-14 Rockets.
