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

INGLEWOOD, Calif — The LA Clippers are preparing for the debut of Darius Garland on Monday night, nearly a month after he was acquired by the franchise in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Garland and his family came over to Los Angeles when the trade was made official, with his parents getting to meet people within the organization and the two-time All-Star himself getting a tour of his new home. But Garland won’t be the first one in his family to suit up for the LA Clippers franchise.

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

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

“Oh wow, is that true?” Winston Garland gasped when informed of the fact. “I did not know that.”

In his 97 games across 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 saw two All-Star appearances and 22 playoff games — two more than his father — Darius Garland will have a chance to play a significant role on a Clippers team that needs a point guard of his abilities.

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

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

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

“I’d say probably taking the weight room more serious,” Winston Garland added. “He’s been getting in the weight room a lot more. He’s taking the off-season workouts so hard and really, really getting at that. And then during the season, I just think, you know, leadership and being vocal. By nature, he’s pretty quiet, but he’s been working on that, too.”

With the move to the Clippers, Garland goes from playing alongside established NBA figures in head coach Kenny Atkinson and seven-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell to NBA championship winning head coach Tyronn Lue and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

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

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

“That’s what I told him,” Tyronn Lue said of his plans for Garland. “He went back and watched a whole bunch of film from those days. We’re gonna put the ball in his hands, he’s got to be able to make plays for himself and his teammates. He has the ability to do that. If you look at all the charts, he’s second in the league in making quick decisions off of pick-and-rolls and plays, so he knows how to play the game. We’re going to need every bit of it, his ability to score the basketball, make guys better, create pace, generate pace. he can do all of that.”

Winston Garland says he’s ecstatic about the idea of his son being able to learn under coach Lue and alongside Kawhi Leonard.

“Oh man, the sky’s the limit,” the elder Garland added. “Just hearing incredible things about Tyronn Lue, I just 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 himself, it makes it worth it, so yeah.”

Growing up, Garland never had to be over-coached by his father.

“I was coaching him hard every once in a while, but not much. He was a self-starter and self-motivated, so I didn’t have to go too crazy on him.

He’s a seamless fit pretty much anywhere you put him and he’s very much a people person, enjoys and loves his teammates, so that helps him out a lot.”

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

Garland will make his Clippers debut on Monday night against the Golden State Warriors, with tipoff scheduled for 7PM PST on Peacock.

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