In a candid interview with Draymond Green and former NBA guard Baron Davis, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland explains the driving force behind his self‑declared “revenge season.” He recounts a difficult 2023‑24 campaign marked by a broken jaw, a 15‑pound weight loss, and family challenges, which left him under‑weight and hungry for redemption. Garland describes how an offseason focused on consistent weight‑room work added roughly 25 pounds, improving his physicality, defensive presence, and confidence. He reveals a personal “list” of elite NBA guards he wants to outperform, likening the competition to a video‑game chip system, and cites legends such as Steve Nash, Tony Parker, and Chauncey Billups as benchmarks. The conversation also touches on his expanded defensive responsibilities under coach Kenny Atkinson, his role in energizing teammates alongside defensive anchors Jared Allen and Evan Mobley, and the mental shift from merely playing to demanding All‑Star recognition and a deep playoff run. Throughout, Garland’s tone is determined and enthusiastic, emphasizing resilience, hard work, and a renewed swagger.
Chapters
I love that you call this your revenge season because I know the player that you are. And last couple years, you haven't quite been the DG that I know. And that's due to some injury, right? Like, you bring Donovan Mitchell in, that takes some time to get used to. Everybody think it's just gonna happen the next day. That don't happen like that, right? Like, and so there's things that were happening that I think could have caused it. Nonetheless, I want to ask you, what, what, for what reason did you feel that you needed a revenge season?
A lot of people doubted me last year, bro. Like you said, 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 with you, bro. I mean, 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. And I mean, that's what it was, bro. Like, I'm in the second round of playoffs playing against the Boston Celtics that won the Finals. Yeah. I'm down 15 pounds. I haven't been that little since high school. So I'm playing at the highest level and the most intense basketball of 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. So yeah, this is— I knew coming to that summer, the next summer, like, I really had to really lock in on my body.
Mm-hmm.
Really lock in in the gym. And that was my whole mindset. Like, I'm coming to get what I deserve and what I had. Like, I want all that back. I want the All-Stars back. I want to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals that we really want to get to. I wanna get back to the playoffs and—
Yeah.
Have like a, like a good little jumpstart for it, you know? So, I mean, that was, That was just like a big thing for me last year. And going into that summer was just, it's my time to get what I deserve. And I mean, I just had that confidence in me ever since the injury, just to go in and have that mindset like, let's go get it.
I see a different look, a different fire, different confidence, and a different poise. You know, I also read that you got a list. I love the fact that you got a list, you feel me? You have to have a list when you a PG. Can you talk about this list? And, uh, if you want to give me like 3 or 4 names off the list— I heard you check some off, you know, I'm just here as a witness, you know, to say yeah.
No, um, yeah, the list was just— I mean, you know, Y'all know this league is really guard heavy. So it's a lot of great guards in this league, and I wanted to be mentioned as one of the top guards in this league because I really feel like I'm one of those guys. And I mean, just this summer, I'm just thinking about all the guards that I had to go through to get back to this All-Star level and even get an All-Star nod. It's a couple people on the list that I got at this year so far. We 40 games in, we got a whole nother second part of the season, but I'm not gonna name no names though, BD. I'm sorry, bro.
That's okay. I can guess, I can guess.
But yeah, I just wanna play with that confidence, bro. It's not about like just knocking nobody off or anything like that, but I wanna be seen as one of the, best guards in this league. And that's been my mission. That's been my goal since I was a youngin'. I wanted to be the best to play at this position. So yeah, just having that confidence in me, bro. Going out there and playing with confidence and having that swagger that I've always had and having the trust in my teammates and my coaching staff that I can go out there and do it on a nightly basis.
But to have that list is like a chip though.
Yeah.
You put some chips on your shoulders. For me, I remember it was Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups. 'Cause each one was like a different level. You know, it was almost like a video game and I wanna go 2-0 against him, 4-0 against him. You know, I like that you got them chips when you put them names, you know, on the board. It's like you really got, you really got a issue, right? It's not friendly basketball no more with other point guards. Exactly.
And that's that competition level, man. Just having a chip on my shoulder and just going out there and competing at a high level, especially against those guards. But on a nightly basis, it's always a different guard that's gonna give you something different every night. So I mean, you still gotta go at them the same way you're going at the guys that you got on your list. So it's on a night-to-night basis. Every guard in this league is really good at something that they do. And I was trying to go at them and attack them as much as I can.
You spoke about eating out of a straw. Word on the streets is that you starting to step into your grown man weight now, like you You put on 25 pounds. Like, do you feel the difference in the weight helping you? Like, getting in that weight room, getting stronger, are you feeling that difference? Like, 'cause I think that probably is a part in the confidence as well.
No, for sure. That's definitely part in the confidence. Yeah, I've been in the weight room consistently this year, which is totally different. This like my first year actually being in there consistently. And then the weight that I put on, that helped tremendously. So I'm just trying to keep that weight on, bro. Yeah, I'm getting into bodies a little bit, bumping a little bit, my chest a little bit more on the defensive end. So I could definitely tell a difference just getting through screens, actually like making the first blow instead of taking it first, you know? Keep me off my heels. But yeah, I'm getting a little bit more physical in the trenches, you know what I'm saying?
I see in your defensive mentality that you're stronger. You're looking to guard more than I've ever seen you look to guard. And it's like on a possession to possession basis. At times it's you turning around to everybody like, "Hey man, we need to get a stop." And you sitting down. And what that brings to a team for a point guard to be doing that like yourself, it give your guys behind a whole nother set of confidence. But not even the confidence, it gives them a whole nother sense of responsibility. And you know, for y'all to have a Jared Allen and an Evan Mobley, you know, who are two defensive stars in their own right, but to see our point guard turn around and give us that sense of responsibility, that's a totally different thing. You know what I'm saying? And I see that and I think that is due to you putting that weight on. It's like, nah, I can take the bump, you know, and still be there. And that comes with a different bravado. Yeah.
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, like me just turning around, talking to them, like I'm the head of the snake, like I'm the person on the ball. So I gotta be the one that's sitting down, pulling up my shorts and try to not let him get in our paint. Even though we do have two 7-footers down there that's all defensive caliber type of guys, which helps a lot for sure. Just being in the weight room, bro, I'm actually taking a lot more challenges. And I owe that to Kenny. Kenny Atkinson, man, he's letting me know, you gonna guard this year. Like we switching 1 through 3, 1 through 4. You gonna have to guard bigger guys. And that's motivated me a little bit more to get more in the weight room so I can guard small fours that's trying to post me up and try to back me down like they did in my earlier years. So yeah, it's like BD says, it's a chip on my shoulder, bro.
Mm-hmm.
I'm trying to let nobody just score on me whenever they can or just blow by me and challenge our other bigs so we can get in rotations and stuff like that. So, yeah, just trying to pull my shorts up and move my puppies a little bit more. [SPEAKING CHINESE]
