The Darius Garland era is officially underway for the Los Angeles Clippers. Weeks after the trade that sent James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the former All-Star finally got on the court for Tyronn Lue's team, helping them secure a comeback win over the undermanned Golden State Warriors.
Garland got off to a slow start to the game before ramping things up in the second half. He turned the ball over five times and only took nine shots, seven of which came from beyond the arc. Even so, he still managed to score 12 points.
Considering the way he played, it became even more evident that Cavaliers fans can just turn the page and move on from him. Even if he will be better and play more minutes later, it was a reminder of why the Cavs moved on from him in the first place.
Darius Garland's debut with the Clippers was a mixed bag
“Just getting adjusted,” Garland said (h/t The Athletic). “... Getting healthy — training staff been with me a lot and doing a lot of work. So I really appreciate them, just getting me back to this point.”
Garland came off the bench and played just 23 minutes. Granted, it made sense that they kept him on a strict minutes restriction after such a long layoff, but that was something the Cavaliers clearly couldn't afford to do.
The Cavs have Harden playing through a fractured thumb, while Donovan Mitchell is out with an injury. If it weren't for the trade, they would have both of their playmaking guards on the shelf, most likely sliding in the standings.
Garland can still turn out to be a very good player. He may even have a long and successful career in Los Angeles, and Cavaliers fans should definitely wish him all the best. That said, there are no guarantees that he won't be back in street clothes at some point this season.
He wasn't aggressive and settled for way too many outside shots. That might be life with Kawhi Leonard doing most of the heavy lifting, or perhaps he's just getting his legs back under him before he starts driving again.
Whatever the case, it's still early, but the Cavs are clearly winning the trade so far. And unless Garland is in Los Angeles for longer than Harden stays in The Land, it's hard to envision any scenario in which he's going to make the Cavs regret pulling the plug on him.