The Cleveland Cavaliers added two solid international players during the offseason in Ricky Rubio and Lauri Markkanen.
Cavs point guard Darius Garland spoke to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto about his new foreign-born teammates.
Garland on Rubio:
“Ricky’s come in and brought that leadership role. He’s been in the league for a long time, played in a lot of Olympics and FIBA games, so he’s seen a lot of basketball. I just can’t wait to learn from him. He was a point guard that got drafted early, and he helped a lot of stars when they were younger. He helped Devin Booker. I want him to come in and bring that to me, Collin, and Jarrett. He’s going to have to help us coming in being a playmaker, being aggressive, and putting everybody in the spots they need to be.”
Garland on Markkanen:
“I want Lauri to shoot it every time I pass him the ball. Nine times out of ten, it’s going to go in. I tell him every day to shoot it. I have a lot of confidence in him, and the entire team does. We want him to be aggressive and be one of the leaders on this team. He’s been in the league as long as me, Collin, and Jarrett.”
