Nine games into the season, Darius Garland’s start has been rough enough to drag the LA Clippers into a 2-7 hole and leave them 13th in the Western Conference. The 26-year-old is putting up 21.2 points, 7.0 assists, and a league-high 5.1 turnovers, while shooting 47.1% from the field and 37.1% from beyond the arc. He’s providing offense, but not nearly at the level the Clippers need.
Even with that uneven production, the Clippers still aren’t second-guessing the deal that sent James Harden to Cleveland for Garland and a second-round pick. The reason is simple: Harden has been even worse.
Through 10 games, Harden is averaging 15.7 points, his lowest mark since 2010-11, along with 5.8 assists, his lowest since 2012-13, and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 36.6% from the field. The slump has been severe enough that Kenny Atkinson may need to make a move that’s best for the Cavaliers and bench the former MVP.
Garland’s issues are obvious. He’s coughing up the ball at an alarming rate, making mistakes that have hurt the Clippers, and he’s not giving much on defense, as usual.
But he has still managed to score and create for teammates at a respectable level. There’s also the possibility that his game settles in once Brandon Ingram returns and Garland no longer has to carry the first-option load.
Harden’s situation has been far more damaging for Cleveland. He’s not scoring efficiently, he’s not producing enough as a playmaker, and he’s making it harder for the Cavaliers to win. Cleveland is 5-5 and seventh in the Eastern Conference.
The numbers underline just how badly things have gone. According to Databallr, the Cavaliers have an 111.2 offensive rating with Harden on the floor and a 127.7 mark when he sits. For a player long known as an offensive engine, that kind of split is a brutal sign.
Garland hasn’t given the Clippers much reason to celebrate, but compared with what Harden has done in Cleveland, the trade still looks like a win for LA.
In Other News...
Clippers Are Making One Major Pacers Trade Look Worse Early
The early returns on a Pacers-Clippers deal are not flattering for Indiana, at least not from the perspective of what it gave up to get Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown. In a trade that cost the Pacers multiple draft picks along with Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson, the hope was that Zubac would bring steadiness and production in the middle, but the opening stretch of the regular season has made the price tag look heavier than expected.
Jackson has already been more productive than Zubac, and he has given the Clippers a useful interior presence while the veteran center has fallen short of the level Indiana likely envisioned. It is still early enough for the broader picture to shift, but for now the trade is inviting more questions than answers, especially as the Pacers wait to see whether the long-term value they surrendered will eventually be justified. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Ingram Could Be The Clippers Lift They Desperately Need
Brandon Ingram is getting closer to giving the Clippers a much-needed boost after spending nearly six months in rehabilitation. The forward has been working his way back from a major setback and has now advanced into three-on-three and five-on-five full-contact practices, a sign that his recovery is moving in the right direction as he regains confidence in his body.
For a Clippers team trying to steady itself after a difficult start, the timing matters almost as much as the talent. Ingrams return would add another proven option to a roster that has been waiting for reinforcements, and the hope inside the organization is that a healthier group can finally start to look more like the team it expected to be. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Finally Showed A Different Formula In A Win They Needed
After seven straight losses, the Clippers finally looked like a team willing to win a different way, and it showed in a 139-123 victory over the Pelicans. The ball moved better, the mistakes were trimmed down, and Ty Lue had reason to point to the groups improved sharing and composure as the kind of habits that can steady a season that had been spiraling.
Darius Garland was at the center of it with 24 points and 10 assists, while the bench gave the night a much-needed lift with 59 points. For a team that had been searching for any sign of a reset, this was more than just a clean result - it was a reminder that the Clippers can still create offense without forcing the issue, even if the bigger question is whether they can keep that approach going. [Read more 🡒]