When the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Darius Garland at last year’s trade deadline, it signaled they were ready for a franchise reset. They doubled down on that by trading away Kawhi Leonard this summer as well for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and draft picks. It is a new era of LA basketball.
However, the Clippers have a bleak long-term outlook, as they do not have their next five first round picks and their owner and top executive are suspended indefinitely.
Their season outlook became even bleaker when the team announced that Ingram has a partially torn achilles and will not be ready for the season opener. It might lead to Garland shouldering a load that he hasn’t had to carry in a few seasons, but he might be ready for it.
Darius Garland is primed for a career year with the Clippers
During his time with the Cavs, Garland went from one of the league's worst players to All-Star talent. He established himself as one of the NBA’s best floor generals, thanks to his elite court vision and shifty handle.
He was an All-Star twice, once in 2022, then again in 2026. He has dealt with injuries over the last couple seasons, with a broken jaw costing him most of 2024 and a nagging toe injury that he suffered at the end of 2025, that lingered into 2026.
Garland didn’t play a lot last year, but when he did play, he was still his All-Star self. In 19 games with LA, he averaged 20 points per game on 47 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue talked about how there are many similarities between Garland and Kyrie Irving, who played for Lue about a decade ago. Lue said he wants to utilize Garland in a similar way, which could truly unleash the star point guard.
Garland has the talent to do it. He didn’t become an All-Star on accident. Years of work and repetition is what got him here. He has a very fun playstyle and has the keys to this LA offense this season.
The Clippers may not be that competitive in a loaded Western Conference, but don’t let that stop you from paying attention to Garland's play. He is primed for a huge season and we may not have seen the best version of him yet.
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