The debut is in the books. Now comes the build.
Darius Garland scored 12 points in 23 minutes off the bench in his first game with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, a 114-101 comeback win over the Golden State Warriors.
He went 4-of-9 from the field, hit two threes and committed five turnovers in his first action since Jan. 14.
Afterward, Kawhi Leonard made it clear what he expects from the two-time All-Star.
“Number one, just competitive nature,” Leonard said, via Joey Linn. “We’re gonna be looking at him to get us involved, get him some shots, pushing the pace in transition for us, and just getting everybody involved and calling sets so we’re not stagnant at times. I think he’s able to do that.
“He’s an All-Star player. I’m just looking forward to playing more basketball with him.”
Garland admitted there was some rust early.
“I wasn’t frustrated, it was just trying to knock the cobwebs off,” he told Clippers sideline reporter Lauren Rosen. “In the first half, that was it. In the second half, I made a couple shots, teammates told me to keep finding it, keep going, be aggressive, and that’s what happened.”
For the Clippers, it’s less about Monday. It’s more about what Garland becomes by April.
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He can start really growing his game and career now.. I think Kawhi is probably a great vet to learn the game from and with.. Mitchell wasn’t that type of mentor, I don’t think.
Garlands best days are probably 5 years away, for his body and his mind. The trade was probably a bit of an awakening and reality check.. The hardest work is all ahead of him. All opportunity though. Great talent.