Darius Garland (toe) set to make Clippers debut on Monday vs. Warriors

Darius Garland (toe) set to make Clippers debut on Monday vs. Warriors

Nearly a month after the blockbuster commerce that ended his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers, All-Star point guard Darius Garland will reportedly make his debut for the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Saturday that the 26-year-old Garland, who hasn’t suited up since January 14 while persevering with to work his approach again from accidents to the big toes on each of his ft, deliberate to return to the flooring for the Clippers’ Monday evening assembly with the Golden State Warriors. The Clippers adopted with some not-all-that-cryptic social media posts on Sunday …

… before the NBA helpfully eliminated all doubt on Monday:

The Clippers enter the contest at 28-31, in ninth place in the Western Conference, 2.5 games behind the eighth-place Warriors. A win would each slice a game off that deficit and provides the Clips a 2-1 edge of their season collection with Golden State, placing them in place to take the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win in the regular-season finale on April 12.

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While Garland will “likely be on a minutes restriction indefinitely as he returns to competition,” according to Law Murray of The Athletic, head coach Tyronn Lue and Co. will hope that his introduction will present a jolt to a Clippers offense that, with the notable exception of Kawhi Leonard’s particular person brilliance, has often been moribund since delivery out star point guard James Harden and beginning middle Ivica Zubac.

The Clippers have treaded water over the past month, going 5-5 since the Harden/Garland commerce, however have finished so largely on the strength of their protection. During the 5-5 stretch, L.A. ranks twenty first in factors scored per possession, twenty ninth in made 3-pointers per game, lifeless last in 3-point makes an attempt, twenty fifth in team 3-point accuracy, and twenty eighth in assists per game.

Garland averaged 18 factors, 6.9 assists and a couple of.4 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game across 26 appearances in Cleveland this season, capturing 52.1% on 2-pointers, 36% on 3-point makes an attempt and 86.1% from the free-throw line. While battling the toe accidents, Garland often appeared to lack the explosiveness, steadiness and shot-making prowess that made him a two-time All-Star in Cleveland, and a key cog in a Cavaliers assault that set offensive effectivity data last season. If his wheels are healthy, though, he might give Lue a potent weapon to wield as he tries to propel the Clips via the play-in tournament and into the postseason correct.

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“He’s different from James and we can play different with a faster pace,” Lue told reporters last month. “We can play him off the ball more. It’s going to be exciting. I’ve known DG for a while and having a young point guard under my tutelage, I think it’s the first time I have had one since Kyrie [Irving].”

Darius Garland (middle) is set to make his debut for the Clippers, almost one month after the commerce that despatched him from Cleveland to Los Angeles. (Jack Gorman/Getty Images)

(Jack Gorman through Getty Images)

While it’d take some time for participant and coach to iron out the kinks and set up a working rhythm, Garland appears keen to seize the alternative in entrance of him in L.A. In the brief time period, Garland will get to pair with an elite two-way wing in Leonard, who has produced at an All-NBA level this season, and see if the Clips can’t make some sudden noise come springtime. And, trying ahead Garland, who’s under contract via the 2027-28 season, has an opportunity to be a foundational determine for the next section of the Clippers franchise, no matter that may seem like.

“I’m good with the change,” Garland just lately told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “When it first happened, I was kind of skeptical. But I couldn’t turn down this opportunity to play with another Hall of Famer [Leonard] and having a ball in my hands damn near 99 percent of the time. […] I’m in another good situation over here in L.A., trying to do something, trying to rebuild this whole brand of the Clippers, and try to make it one of the biggest teams in L.A.”

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That’s a tall job: Achieving it can require each the sort of regular-season success Garland skilled in Cleveland last season, and the model of postseason success that neither he nor the Clips have achieved. Whether they’ll get there stays to be seen; after what must have felt like a really lengthy month, though, the course of will lastly get began on Monday evening.

“Whatever T-Lue wants me to be, whatever position he wants me to be in, I’m going to do that,” Garland told reporters after the commerce. “I’m here to win games.”

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