Trust the process! The easiest words to casually throw in most press conferences without a result to show for it. But the Cavaliers have owned that phrase this season. Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs’ season is rolling in the right direction after their playoff run last season. And this time the Championship series is the bare minimum for this team to do justice to their talents. Including Mitchell, the Cleveland side has 3 or even other guys who could be in the All-Star mix. But before this sunshine, there was snow, a cold and unforgiving one for one particular Cavs star.

Darius Garland was almost a closed chapter in Ohio, fighting constant battles last season. At one point, it looked certain that Garland and Mitchell could never coexist. The former’s big-money extension looked like a sign of the end for Garland in the Cavs colors. But that is a foregone conclusion this season. So what exactly kept him from being his best self? Garland laid out everything in a recent candid conversation.

“A lot of people doubted me last year,” said Garland letting out his emotions on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis. “I was going through a lot of injuries, broken jaw, a lot of family stuff that I was dealing with. But I mean, most importantly, the jaw was detrimental to me, to be honest.” Last season was tough for the guard, as he lost his grandmother, with whom he was extremely close. However, the most significant challenge he faced was the pain from his fractured jaw, which took a lot from him.

During a game in December 2023 against their Eastern rivals, the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers suffered a heavy blow. While running towards the rim, Garland collided with opponent Kristaps Porzingis, and that was the moment it all changed for him. The result? A broken jaw. The pain from the injury is something the 24-year-old still feels to this day.

“I lost 15 pounds, I’m eating out of a straw. I’m trying to literally just blend anything up I can find in the house, just to try to get some nutrients in my body,” he recalled, his voice reflecting the struggle of his experience. Garland underwent successful surgery that kept him sidelined for 19 games. But that wasn’t the end of it. His jaw was wired shut for a month. Only someone who’s been through it can understand his fight. Despite not being fully healed, he didn’t give up. Instead, he returned to the court with the same passion.

“I’m in the second round of playoffs playing against the Boston Celtics,” Garland shared about the 2024 Playoffs. “I’m down 15 pounds. I haven’t eaten that little since high school. So I’m playing at the highest level in the most intense basketball in my career. And I’m not even fully healthy. Like, I’m just going out there. I just really rushed it. Just trying to get back out there with the guys and play the game that I love for real.”

The team couldn’t get past the Celtics and had to exit the tournament. However, Garland was determined to make the most of the off-season and bounce back with the squad. “I knew coming to that summer, the next summer, like, I really had to really lock in on my body, really lock in a gym. And that was my whole mindset,” he said. And that’s exactly what Garland did. This season, he has missed only one game for rest and has been a part of 41 so far. There are a lot of things he wants back, the All-Star game, the Eastern Conference Finals, and everything he believes he deserves with the mindset of “Let’s go get it.” Helping him in the process is Donovan Mitchell.

Garland discussed his growing chemistry with Donovan Mitchell

The one thing that Garland and Mitchell focused on was what they wanted to accomplish. Mitchell knew that Garland couldn’t showcase the performance he wanted last season and was understandably upset about it. To strengthen their chemistry, the duo engaged in an intense conversation.

“We just sat down and talk and we just really explained to each other, like, this is what we’ll have to do to win,” Garland revealed. “This is what we’re going to have to do to get to the Eastern Conference finals and to the finals. And yeah, it was like a grown-man conversation.” In that exchange, both released the heavy weight they had been carrying on their shoulders for a while.

Garland knows what a talented scoring guard Mitchell is. However, he mentioned since his minutes are less on the hardwood now, his average has dropped to 23.3 points. Garland also shared that Mitchell has allowed him, who is scoring 21.1 points per game, to take on a more facilitating role in their partnership. Because of his reputation as a scorer, opponents naturally focus their defensive efforts on him. This allows the team to capitalize by playing through other options on the court.

“He’s just playing off me a lot more as well,” Garland said. “Just trying to get him open shots and open lists because everybody’s going to hound him on an offense event because he’s Donovan Mitchell. He’s an MVP candidate. So just trying to get him some easy ones, get him going. And when we need to make some tough shots, that’s when you can go be Spida that everybody else knows.”

The understanding between the guards has made a huge difference for the team this season. And with their growing confidence and outstanding performances, the Cleveland Cavaliers may finally have a real shot at capturing the Larry O’Brien Trophy, something they’ve long dreamed of since LeBron James left.