Ever since he came into the league, the evolution Darius Garland has always flown under the radar. Despite only playing five games in college, Garland was still selected in the top five by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was one of the worst players in the league his rookie year, which led to people writing him off.
That was until he burst onto the scene in 2022, earning his first All-Star appearance and leading the Cavs back to relevancy in the Eastern Conference landscape. It prompted Cleveland to trade for Donovan Mitchell to pair him with Garland, a partnership that had its highs, but also had its lows.
Given the crucial nature of this season for the Cavs, they traded Garland away to the Clippers for James Harden. While LA was able to gain a young player to lead their reset, there is one caveat to the young point guard.
As great as Darius Garland is, his injury issues are a concern
Garland was an All-Star again last season, but the end of his Cavs tenure was defined by injury. From a broken jaw in 2024 to getting toe surgery last offseason, Garland’s injury issues popped up at the worst times.
Cleveland looked well on their way to dominating the East playoffs, until Garland injured his toe in game two against Miami. It left the Cavs vulnerable in the backcourt against the Pacers, leading to Mitchell breaking down and Indiana took full advantage.
The most concerning part is that Garland got toe surgery in the offseason and that same toe has bothered him this season. He re-aggravated it upon his return early in the season and then last month, sprained his other toe.
When the Clippers officially acquired him, they said that he is still recovering from the offseason surgery and want to make sure he is 100 percent when he returns again.
However, despite his injury concerns, Garland is still one of the more underrated point guards in the league. He is efficient around the rim thanks to his floater, his shifty handle allows him to dissect defenses at a high level, and his passing IQ opens up the floor for everyone offensively. He is also still 26 years old, so he has a lot of high-level play ahead of him.
Garland has two more years left on his contract. Even if his injury concerns linger, LA didn’t lose a lot in the process. Harden is 36-years old and is still playing at a high-level, but the Clippers did not have a long runway with him. This was a worthy swing to take for LA. Young all-star point guards are not available all the time.
