What Darius Garland had to say about finally making his LA debut after the Cavs trade

As Darius Garland made his debut for the Los Angeles Clippers in Monday night’s 114-101 win over the Golden State Warriors, the star would speak after a long-awaited outing. With Garland comes off the bench for the Clippers in his debut, there’s no denying the work that needs to be done to improve after missing significant time.

In the win, Garland would record 12 points on four-of-nine shooting from the field, two-of-seven from three-point range, along with two assists and two rebounds, with five turnovers. Garland would say his debut focused on him “adjustment” to his new environment.

“I’m just adjusting,” Garland said, per The Athletic’s Lav Murray. “Getting used to LA, getting to know the guys. Getting to know the staff, everybody around the organization, and just trying to get back to me… Yeah, man, it’s definitely good to get out there with the guys. Especially getting a win, my first win with the Clips. It’s a blessing.”

🆕 @TheAthletic

Darius Garland came off the bench after a Clippers debut that was a month in the making. The Clippers were down 17, and Garland’s first few minutes were very rusty

And then Garland started playing with him Kawhi Leonard and Chris Dunn. Inside DG debut PG in GS 👉🏾 pic.twitter.com/0ncau2ijIu

— Lav Murray 🕯 (@LavMurraiTheNU) March 3, 2026

Darius Garland’s Clippers debut got off to a rocky start

While a a toe injury prevented Garland from making his debut for the Clipperssince he was traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the James Harden deal, he was rusty early on, even drawing a lot of attention from the Warriors on defense.

“Yes, I didn’t expect to get a flash after a month off” Garland said, via Murray. “But Steve Kerr always had something up his sleeve.”

After playing more minutes, it was noticeable that the 26-year-old was feeling more comfortable, and Garland even said he believed the “cobwebs” were undone.

“That second half, that’s when it really started to turn around,” Garland said. “KD (Kris Dunn) came in, got some really big steals. Jordan (Miller) … Janic (Conan Niederhauser) played his bum. And ‘whi (Kawhi Leonard) is going to be ‘whi, of course.”

Garland will look to improve further as the season continues in Los Angeles, with their next game on Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, as the team currently sits at 29-31.