Darius Garland is embracing the opportunity to take on a larger leadership role with the Los Angeles Clippers after a turbulent period that included his departure from Cleveland and the trade of Kawhi Leonard.
Speaking with Marc J. Spears, Garland said the motivation that followed his departure from the Cavaliers remains intact as he enters his eighth NBA season.
“Yeah, 1,000%,” Garland said when asked if he still has the chip he carried from Cleveland. “It wasn’t even a trade, it was just everything that’s happened. So everybody thought that I was just out of the league basically. But now I’m tryna get that spark back, tryna get back to the All-Star level that I’m used to being at.”
Garland joined the Clippers in February as part of the trade that sent James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 19.9 points and 6.4 assists in 19 games with Los Angeles last season, shooting 47.1% from the field and 43.8% from three-point range.
The Clippers have since undergone an even bigger transformation, trading Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors and entering the season without their longtime franchise cornerstone.
Garland acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the organization but said his approach has remained consistent.
“It’s a lot that happened. But this too shall pass,” Garland said. “I was definitely kind of like surprised actually but I knew it was probably gonna happen sooner or later. But my mentality hasn’t changed at all.”
“When I got traded here last year, they wanted me to come and be a leader and be a spark. We could play faster, we can move the ball, push the pace. So my mindset and mentality hasn’t changed. We actually gotten better.”
With Leonard gone and the Clippers rebuilding around a new core, Garland was asked directly whether he wants to become the face of the franchise.
“It’s definitely something that I want,” he said. “I think I’ve been through a lot in this career and I think I’m ready to take on the reins of that, especially year 8.”
“I think I’ve actually found myself a little bit, and I know where I wanna get to.”
Garland entered the NBA as the fifth overall pick in 2019 and became a two-time All-Star, including in 2022 when he averaged 21.7 points and 8.6 assists for Cleveland. He returned to the All-Star Game in 2025 after averaging 20.6 points and 6.7 assists.
His first season with the Clippers produced another strong shooting stretch, particularly from three-point range. Garland averaged 19.9 points and 6.4 assists while making 43.8% of his three-point attempts.
The Clippers also added Brandon Ingram, Rui Hachimura and No. 5 pick Keaton Wagler as part of their new-look roster. Garland recognizes that building the team will take time, and he urged fans to remain patient.
“Be patient,” Garland said. “It’s a lot going on right now, but just worry about what’s going on this year. Got a lot of new faces coming in, so we definitely have to be patient.”
“Got to work through a lot of bumps and bruises, even though we wanna win games at a high rate. It’s gonna happen. It’s a long season, get better every game, will get better every year, and this too shall pass.”
