INGLEWOOD — Darius Garland never had to be the guy. That one player who everyone watched. The one who teammates looked to for advice on the court, who counseled them off the court and the one who everyone counted on.
Read more Chargers’ emerging ground game faces tough test vs. Seahawks
That’s because there were always the others, older or more established stars who played that part in Garland’s first seven seasons in the NBA. There were players such as Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley in Cleveland, and most recently Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers, those who held the torch and directed the spotlight.
This season, though, Garland is that guy after Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors. He is the veteran who the younger Clippers are turning to for leadership, even though the 26-year-old isn’t far removed from AI-generated memes and a digital-first lifestyle.
Veteran swingman Max Strus, who played alongside Garland on the Cleveland Cavaliers, told Joey Linn of joeylinn.com that his former teammate can control the locker room with his poise, leadership skills and energy.
“No maybes about it. That’s for sure,” Strus said Tuesday as the team opened training camp in Hawaii. “There is gonna be a lot riding on DG’s shoulders but we’re all here to support him and push him through that.
“He’s capable of it. He’s a hell of a basketball player. … I’m excited to see him fully healthy and get us a full look at DG this season.”
The Clippers’ point guard already has taken on that role as training camp heats up, one he appears to relish. He hosted a “Call of Duty” tournament for all the Gen Zs last week to build team chemistry, a move he called “super cool.”
“It’s cool just being around those guys,” Garland said during the team’s annual Preseason Media Day on Monday. “(They) just call me big brother now, so that’s something new for me. I mean, talking about TikToks and stuff. It’s making me feel old.”
Garland, though, has taken a special interest in rookie Keaton Wagler, who like him, was the No. 5 overall pick in the NBA draft. He said the 19-year-old guard out of Illinois will, like every young player, make mistakes and even stumble at times.
Garland knows from experience. In his first season out of Vanderbilt, he struggled to make an impact in the NBA and was often ranked among the league’s worst players. Although he finished his rookie season averaging 12.3 points and 3.9 assists per game, Garland was excluded from the NBA All-Rookie teams.
“It’s going to be a lot of bumps and bruises throughout the entire season, but you have to get past it. You just have to push through it,” Garland said of Wagler.
“I’m trying to install some confidence in Keaton. … He’s just got to go through all the adversity. Everybody’s going to make mistakes out of 82 games, so just want him to carry it (confidence) with him, carry it on his sleeve and remember it’s always going to get better for him and (fellow rookie) Baba Miller.”
Garland said he has been working with Wagler every day, giving him pointers on how to play at the NBA level, and he said the young guard is eager to learn.
Read more Alexander: This is the Lakers’ Great Chemistry Experiment
“He teaches me a lot and I teach him a lot,” Garland said. “It’s super cool just to have that interaction with someone that’s been in the same position and a lot younger, but same in the same age range.”
But Wagler isn’t the only player Garland is eager to connect with on the court. Two-time All-Star Brandon Ingram, who came to the Clippers in the trade that sent Leonard to Toronto, will be the other part of the team’s flashy pick and roll, that is when Ingram gets healthy.
Ingram, a 6-foot-8 forward, had surgery to repair a partial tear of his right Achilles tendon and is expected to miss the first three months of the season.
“When he gets out there, I think our pick and roll will probably be our No. 1 thing that we go to. I think that can be really nasty to be honest with you,” Garland said. “Just the way he works his mid-range game. He can score at all three levels, but the way he really gets to the mid-range reminds me of Kawhi a little bit.
“The way he just gets there, the way his footwork is, the pump-fakes to step through. So, I mean, he’s super crafty, so I’m super excited to play with him.”
Garland’s excitement stems largely from the fact that he has 10 healthy toes this season. He battled toe issues that limited him to 47 games last season and delayed his Clippers debut for about a month after the midseason trade. He had described it as playing “on nine toes.”
He said his toes – all 10 – are 100% heading into this season and gave credit to the Clippers’ medical staff.
“We worked a lot of time on one toe, which is crazy, but we worked a lot on it,” Garland said. “It’s good to have a full offseason when I’m 100% where I can actually go really work.
“I feel a lot of relief from it since I don’t have any problems with it anymore. I’m excited and ready to get on the floor.”
Healthy feet and talented young players are not the only reason Garland is excited for his first full season with the Clippers. Unlike many around the league, he believes the Clippers have a strong mix of experienced veterans and talented young players who could surprise a lot of people.
“We got a lot of soldiers out there that’s ready to work and try to put their best foot forward,” he said. “So, yeah, I’m excited.
“The locker room energy has been super high. Everybody is excited about this season getting started. … The vibe is immaculate right now.”
Read more LA City Council charges LA28 with creating ‘A troubling picture’ ahead of Olympics