Darius Garland’s father reflects on his son’s trade to LA 36 years after his own

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It’s the LA Clippers preparation for debut of Darius Garland on Monday night, nearly a month after being acquired by the franchise in the blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Garland and his family came to Los Angeles when the trade was made official, his parents met people inside the organization, and the two-time All-Star himself was given a tour of his new home. But Garland won’t be the first in his family to fit in with the LA Clippers franchise.

Winston Garland, father of Darius, played seven seasons in the NBA from 1987 to 1995. The 6-foot-2 guard played 511 regular season games for five different franchises, one of which was LA Clippers.

In fact, Winston Garland was traded to the LA Clippers from Golden State Warriors in February 1990 and watched as his son was traded to the same franchise 36 years later in the month.

“Oh, is that true?” Winston Garland gasped when informed of that fact. “I didn’t know that.”

In his 97 games over two seasons with the Clippers, Winston Garland averaged 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

After seven strong seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers that featured two All-Star appearances and 22 playoff appearances — two more than his father — Darius Garland will have a chance to play a significant role on a Clippers team in need of a point guard of his caliber.

“We’re very excited for him, man,” Winston Garland told ClutchPoints at a recent Clippers game, his wife beside him nodding in agreement. “He’s just starting another chapter in his career and yeah, man. I can’t wait to see what happens. He’s excited, we’re excited, so we’re ready to go.”

Darius Garland has made great strides in improving his game and efficiency over the years, but has struggled to stay healthy in recent years, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to trade him at the February deadline.

While his son’s growth can easily be seen on the court and statistically over the years, Garland’s father believes the greatest growth his son has achieved has come off the court.

“I would say I probably take the weight room seriously,” added Winston Garland. “He’s been getting in the gym a lot more. He takes offseason workouts so hard and he really, really gets it. And then during the season, I just think, you know, he’s a leader and I’m loud. He’s pretty quiet by nature, but he’s worked on that as well.”

In moving to the Clippers, Garland moves from established NBA figures with head coach Kenny Atkinson and seven-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell to head coach Tyronn Lue, winner of the NBA Championship, and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

And with James Harden a player to leave at the trade deadline, the LA Clippers are embracing a new, more up-tempo style of play for the remainder of the season – and possibly beyond.

Lue told Garland he already envisions using him like NBA champion Kyrie Irving did in Cleveland.

“I told him that,” Tyronn Lue said of his plans for Garland. “He’s gone back and watched a ton of film from those days. We’re going to put the ball in his hands, he’s got to be able to make plays for himself and his teammates. He’s got the ability to do that. If you look at all the charts, he’s second in the league in making quick decisions on pick-and-rolls and plays, so he knows how to make every part of him score. basketball, make guys better, create tempo, create tempo, he can do it all.

Winston Garland says he is excited about the idea that his son can learn under coach Lue and with Kawhi Leonard.

“Oh man, the sky’s the limit,” the elder Garland added. “I just hear amazing things about Tyronn Lue, I can’t wait for him to get some tutelage under him. And then yeah, who wouldn’t want to play with Kawhi, right? So yeah, those two guys and him, it pays off, so yeah.”

Growing up, Garland never had to be coached too much by his father, finding plenty of motivation to improve himself as a basketball player.

“I coached him from time to time, but not a lot. He was self-starter and self-motivated, so I didn’t have to go too crazy on him.”

He’s a perfect fit wherever you put him and he’s very human and enjoys and loves his teammates, so that helps him a lot.”

Over the last five seasons – two of which resulted in him being named an NBA All-Star – Darius Garland averaged 20.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 39 percent from three.

Garland will make his debut for the Clippers on Monday night against the Golden State Warriors with tip-off set for 7pm PST on the Peacock.