The Los Angeles Clippers made a significant move by trading their superstar, James Harden, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in return for Darius Garland. Although Garland missed 10 games since arriving in L.A., after showing some noteworthy progress, he made his debut against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.
For the most part, this is a promising sign for the Clippers, who have a chance to see their new core in action. However, while speaking with the media, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue revealed that Darius Garland would be coming off the bench in his debut, specifically to avoid playing him alongside Kawhi Leonard.
“Just bringing him off the bench so he doesn’t have to play with Kawhi,” Lue justified. “So he can kinda find his own rhythm, his own timing, and just try to run everything through him.”
“Just being aggressive, our pace, picking it up. That’s the thought process behind bringing him off the bench. Try to get him up to speed faster rather than later. So, that’s what he’ll be doing until we get his minutes up. Then, of course, you know he’s gonna be the starter.”
While Lue’s initial statement may come across as outrageous, his justification for the same seems rational. By giving Darius Garland free rein of the offense without Kawhi Leonard in the mix, Lue has effectively given the young guard the freedom to facilitate while also being the first option on offense.
Considering the amount of time Garland has missed, ensuring that the guard finds his groove is essential to keeping the Clippers’ postseason hopes alive.
Darius Garland Has Started Slow
Darius Garland’s long-awaited debut for the Los Angeles Clippers was positioned to be a promising sight for the fans. However, since the guard was coming off an injury, the likelihood of him being rusty was far greater.
Inevitably, this has shown in his performance against the Warriors. In the first half, Darius Garland has posted five points and one assist on 1-3 shooting (1-3 3PT) with three turnovers in 11 minutes of playing time. In comparison, Kawhi Leonard has led the Clippers’ scoring with eight points, along with five rebounds and two assists.
Given that the role off the bench also comes with a minutes restriction, Darius Garland’s ability to contribute was limited from the start. With the Warriors enjoying a 56-42 lead at the end of the first half, it can be argued that Tyronn Lue’s experiment hasn’t yielded positive results just yet.
Still, Lue’s approach is geared toward the future. With Los Angeles sitting in ninth place, only 2.5 games behind the Warriors in eighth, the team seems geared to secure a place in the play-in tournament. With aspirations of securing a playoff spot, Lue will need Darius Garland to establish his place in the rotation quickly.
