“I like that comparison” – Cavaliers All-Star guard believes he has a better backcourt duo with Donovan Mitchell in comparison to Damian Lillard & CJ McCollum

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the NBA's biggest stories this season.

At the end of last year, the team was optimistic about its future after posting its most successful season since LeBron James left in 2018. But nobody could have prepared for what came next. In the midst of the offseason, the front office made a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz to bring Donovan Mitchell to The Land.

Immediately, the Cavaliers were thrust into the spotlight. With the acquisition of Mitchell, Cleveland went from a budding young squad with a bright future to a playoff-caliber team. Considering how stacked the Eastern Conference is, the hype surrounding the Cavaliers was a testament to what Mitchell brought.

The team has lived up to expectations so far, posting an impressive 8-3 record that has landed them in second place in the East. During an appearance on ESPN on Friday, Darius Garland spoke about the team's expectations.

Garland sees the comparison between Mitchell and himself to the Portland Trail Blazers' former pairing of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum as valid.

"I like that comparison," Garland said. "I think they were pretty good in Portland. I think that we can be a little bit better, I believe. Especially with the talent that we have around us, I think we can up that match a little bit more."

Over the course of the sitdown, Garland and ESPN host Malika Andrews, who covered the Blazers while in college, spoke about everything from the state of the Cavs to his eye injury in the season opener.

The comments regarding the comparisons to Lillard and McCollum can be seen beginning at the two-minute mark.

Darius Garland's injury and return

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland

Garland had a rough start to the season. In just 13 minutes of the opener, he racked up a whopping five turnovers before going down with an eye injury. The injury, inadvertently caused by Gary Trent Jr., produced a cut to Garland's eyelid. While that may not sound like a significant injury, he suffered significant swelling. As a result, he was unable to return to the game and missed the next five games.

Losing Garland was a rough way for the Cavaliers to start the season. However, the team won all five games despite his absence. When he returned in early November, Garland scored 29 points to go along with 12 assists. The stat line helped the Cavaliers knock off the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics 114-103.

Since then, Darius Garland has continued to look like his usual self despite dealing with lingering swelling problems. However, the team is in the midst of a two-game skid after losing to the LA Clippers and then the Sacramento Kings. Even so, analysts are predicting that the team will continue to make waves this season.

Check out "The Road Back," an all-access video put out by the Cavaliers organization regarding their hot start to the season, below.