Darius Garland is an All-Star guard who, as he proved Saturday night, can rally from a difficult first half to post 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
But the defensive acumen that Ayo Dosunmu displayed in that first half — and on certain second-half possessions — offers a telling window into the rookie’s development and progression. Alex Caruso even opined that Dosunmu fared better against Garland than he did.
Dosunmu blocked one of Garland’s shots in the opening minute and dutifully swarmed and harassed him into a 2-for-15 start with five turnovers. Not all of those misses came off direct matchups against Dosunmu. And the Cavaliers were finishing a tough back-to-back that involved a long flight from Miami.
But according to matchup data at NBA.com, Dosunmu has spent 23 minutes, 51 seconds directly matched up against Garland this season over three meetings. Garland has scored 29 points but with nine turnovers to just 13 assists.
“Any time I play against another good guard, I try to pick things up because I’m trying to get better each game,” Dosunmu said. “The information is there. It’s on me to take it and use it.”
Why is this pertinent now?
In the direct future, Dosunmu faces De’Aaron Fox on Monday night, the Kings guard who scored 14 points in just 8:32 matched up against Dosunmu last month at the United Center.
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And big picture, Dosunmu is starting to display the defensive IQ and maturity that projects to fit well alongside Caruso and Lonzo Ball come playoff time.
“Ayo has done a good job of improving and learning. The biggest thing for him that has been valuable for us as a team is him getting this experience to run the show, to guard the best players on the other team,” Caruso said. “Seeing players the first time, second time, now we’re getting to the third or fourth time, he’s starting to pick up on different clues, starting to play less with his hands.
“His range of versatility on defense is really big for us. For me, just trying to get back in there and do what I do, disrupt stuff. When you put it all together, I think we can be pretty dangerous.”
Dosunmu will likely be sharing situational postseason minutes with Coby White, who has improved defensively this season but projects more to be an offensive option. Either way, the trust that coach Billy Donovan showed in the rookie as far back as preseason continues to pay dividends.
“He’s disciplined and he learns,” Donovan said.
Dosunmu still makes mistakes. All players — especially rookies — do. Donovan pointed to Dosunmu fouling Rajon Rondo of all people on a desperation 3-pointer to beat the shot clock late in the third quarter. Making the play even more cringe-worthy is the fact officials ruled it a flagrant foul because Dosunmu didn’t give Rondo space to land.
Rondo sank two of three free throws and Evan Mobley missed on the ensuing possession. But Donovan rightly pointed out how if Rondo makes all three free throws and the Cavaliers follow with a 3-pointer, a six-point possession changes the momentum of the game.
“I’ve always felt comfortable from day one putting him on different people,” Donovan said of Dosunmu. “The biggest thing you have to deal with is just the inexperience of him playing guys for the first time. But he’s a quick learner and he’ll figure those things out.
“I have a lot of confidence and belief in him because I know how competitive he is. I know how much of a team guy he is. And you just know he’s going to give everything and put everything into it. And that’s not to say he’s going to be perfect. But when he does make mistakes, you know he’s going to course correct and get better from it.”