NBA 2K27 may have just handed Darius Garland the kind of bulletin-board material that can follow a player all season.
When the latest ratings dropped ahead of the game’s release in a few weeks, Garland landed at an 84 overall. For a guard with his offensive skill set - and for someone entering his first full season with the LA Clippers - that number feels light. It also sets up the exact kind of year where he can spend the season making the rating look silly.
Garland’s company in that 84 group says plenty. Kon Knueppel, Norman Powell, Ja Morant, Mikal Bridges, and De’Aaron Fox all checked in there too. Even with that list in mind, Garland looks like the outlier who belongs a tier higher, somewhere in the late 80s.
The Clippers got a real look at what he can do after trading for him at the deadline last season, but the timing wasn’t exactly ideal. He was dropped into the rotation as one of the team’s main options with no real runway to settle in, no chance to fully absorb the playbook, and no extended stretch to adjust at his own pace.
None of that stopped him from producing.
In 19 games, the two-time All-Star put up 19.9 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 47.1% from the field and 43.8% from three. For a six-foot-one, 192-pound point guard, those numbers don’t just stand out - they jump off the page.
He also gave Clippers fans at least one night they won’t forget anytime soon: 41 points, 11 assists, and eight three-pointers in an overtime road win against the Dallas Mavericks.
Now the setup is completely different. Garland has had a full offseason that started early, plus training camp and preseason in LA. That gives him time to build chemistry with his teammates, sharpen parts of his game, and get stronger in the weight room.
And if last season was the preview, the full version should be even better. Garland looks poised to rise, and by the end of the 2026-27 regular season, that 84 in NBA 2K27 could look like one of the most off-base numbers in the game.
In Other News...
Clippers Suddenly At Center Of A Kawhi Leonard Trade Standoff
The Clippers thought they had a franchise-altering deal lined up when they reached agreement with Toronto to send Kawhi Leonard north, but the transaction has now become tangled in a bigger league issue. The holdup stems from an ongoing investigation into alleged salary cap circumvention involving Leonard and the Clippers, leaving the original agreement in a suspended state while the sides wait for more clarity.
For Los Angeles, the uncertainty puts the focus back on a trade that once looked like a clean transaction and now sits at the center of a dispute with far wider implications. Toronto is not simply sitting still, either, with the possibility of shifting to other options if the Leonard deal never gets back on track, which keeps the entire situation hanging over the Clippers until the investigation runs its course. [Read more 🡒]