Cavaliers’ legend Mark Price gushes over All-Star Darius Garland

By Chad Porto | Feb 18, 2022

CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 26: Former Cavaliers greats Brad Daugherty, left, and Mark Price, right, wave to the crowd during a celebration for the Cavaliers 50th anniversary prior to the game against the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 26, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Cleveland Cavaliers legend Mark Price is gushing over Darius Garland.

There’s an old saying, “game respects game”, and if Cleveland Cavalier’s legends are raving about your game, then you must be doing something right. Few players in the team’s history, carry the same amount of love and respect from the fanbase as Mark Price does. Price, who has been coaching off and on since 1998, is someone who knows how to play the point guard position.

Not only does he know how to play the point guard position, but he knows how to play the modern point guard position. At the height of his career, he was averaging 5.0+ three-point shots per game. In 1989-1990, he was just one of four NBA players tho average that many shots and only Reggie Miller had a better three-point percentage than him for players who shot more than four three’s per game. Teammates Steve Kerr and Craig Ehlo had per-game percentage hitting three’s but they also took far fewer.

In today’s game, he wouldn’t be in the Top 70.

Needless to say, Price was ahead of his time as a point guard. That’s why he sees so much of himself in Darius Garland.

Cleveland Cavaliers legend, Mark Price, sees himself in Darius Garland

The former Cavaliers legend is over the moon with how good Darius Garland has become, telling Cleveland.com that Garland is going to be very good for very a long time.

"All he has to do is stay, and Darius is going to be a star for a long time. I really like his game."

He even went as far as to say that a lot of what Price did in his prime, he sees in Garland. Telling Cleveland.com “I do” when asked if he sees the similarities in their games.

It isn’t just what Garland is doing on the court that impresses Price, it’s off the court as well.

"He found a way to get them (his teammates) to follow him, to trust him. It’s a big part of being a point guard. He knows how to get them the ball. They are willing to follow him."

It’s obvious that Garland is on the cusp of superstardom, he’s just 22 and in his third year, and already an All-Star and the leader of a young squad heading to the playoffs. If you had any doubts about Garland this late into this season, maybe Price’s praise will help with that.