It’s Time To Free Darius Garland

Darius Garland off the ball: BJ Mathews makes the case that the Clippers should move Darius Garland off the ball to fix their shot creation problem while their injured stars recover.

There is a time and place for everything.

The LA Clippers suffered another defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, 87-103, moving them to 1-3.
That marks the second loss against the Lakers within the first four games of the season.

While the Clippers took the loss as a team, no other player seemed more affected than Clippers All-Star point guard Darius Garland.

After the game, Garland pointed out, “We have a lot of guys out, and it’s still early.” That is true; the Clippers have had a lengthy injury report since the start of the season.

QUESTIONABLE
Rui Hachimura – Left Quad Soreness

OUT
Bradley Beal – R Knee Injury Management
Brandon Ingram – R Heel Surgery
Jordan Miller – L Rotator Cuff Surgery
Yanic Konan Niederhäuser – R Lisfranc Surgery
Max Strus – R Plantar Fascia Partial Tear

However, that doesn’t mean certain things cannot be addressed and fixed until players return.

The Clippers have a shot creation problem

Last night, Garland finished with 14 points, 5 assists, and 5 turnovers while shooting only 5/14 from the field. The Lakers’ Matisse Thybulle was assigned to him as the primary defender; he is a 6’9 wing and a good defender. If Garland got past him, other Lakers players would wait for him to come into the paint to help and collapse on a smaller Garland, which also wore out the 6’1 guard. This was a hard wake-up call.

Clippers head coach Ty Lue, when asked about the lack of shot creators and offense because of the injuries to Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, and Max Strus, had this to say: “It’s about the way we play. I think transition, tempo, run, and attack early; playing faster is the key, but in the half court we have to play just as fast because we are limited offensively,” Lue said.

Lue’s line of thinking is that getting transition points can help take somewhat of the pressure off needing skilled scorers on the court to generate points. In contrast, that still plays a part in creating scoring opportunities. Not even the best transition teams of all time have every point in the open court. That means play calling and sets matter when the game slows down, and the Clippers need natural scorers, which is where Garland comes in.

Why Darius Garland Off the Ball Fixes the Clippers’ Offense

Garland needs to play more off the ball.

Against the Lakers, Garland did not lead the team in scoring for the first time in four games.
Keaton Wagler led the Clippers with 21 points. That’s good for the rookie individually, but most nights opposing teams will live with it and plan to take Garland out of the game as much as possible, shooting a low volume of shots.

With 65-70% of the Clippers’ offense out with injury, this team needs Garland’s shooting and scoring more than his point-guard skills. Within the last three games, Garland has scored under 20 points each game, and all three of those contests resulted in losses. The defense is already focused on Garland bringing the ball up the court. He can score, dribble, and pass at an elite level, but a defensive scheme can slow him down if the opponent focuses on him and the team lacks scoring threats.

If Garland played shooting guard, he could be that threat. This would free him up to come off curls, screens, handoffs, and other actions, using his catch-and-shoot shots and drives to throw the defense off.
In the season opener versus the Sacramento Kings, he had 30 points and shot over 50% from the field and 42% from the three-point line. Unlike point forwards like Luka Doncic or James Harden, who can rack up scoring and assists at the same time, Garland doesn’t thrive off of that.

He is at his best when he focuses on one aspect of the game at a time. Right now, with the Clippers desperately needing scoring, let Wagler, Kris Dunn, or Kobe Sanders play more on ball, and find Garland off the ball to get more opportunities to shoot and score.

The Clippers travel to Minnesota on Friday to face the Timberwolves after Steph Curry led a 40-point outburst in a Golden State Warriors win.