Los Angeles Clippers point guard Darius Garland says that he wants to play like 2016 Kyrie Irving with the team this coming season.
Irving’s coach in 2016 was Ty Lue — the current Clippers head coach — who helped lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a massive upset comeback win over the 73-win Golden State Warriors that season.
With how well Irving played that year, Garland is hoping to mimic what he did in Cleveland and do the same with the Clippers this season in Los Angeles.
Darius Garland Hoping to Mimic Prime Kyrie Irving
Speaking to HoopsHype in a new interview ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, Garland admitted that he is happy with the trade to Los Angeles and that he told his coach he wants to mimic prime Irving next year.
“It’s super cool, because I’ve actually watched him in 2016. I told him I wanted to play a little bit like Kai (Kyrie Irving) and how he played in 2016 in that Finals run. So actually seeing his vision actually work, so trying to implement it into my game, I think it would be pretty cool. It’s going to be pretty interesting how he tries to fit it in. But I’m super excited. We’ve been talking a lot about the offense this year. I’m super excited to get back over there in LA and just be with the team and be with the guys,” Garland said.
Irving was an absolute weapon for Lue and the Cavaliers in 2016, so if Garland can come anywhere close to that for the Clippers, then the team will be in great shape.
Clippers Counting on Darius Garland
With the Clippers expected to complete a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Raptors sending Kawhi Leonard north of the border for Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick, Garland will be counted on to help lead the Clippers back to the postseason.
The NBA’s Western Conference is very strong, and without Leonard on the Clippers’ roster anymore, the team is certainly not one of the upper-echelon teams in the conference this coming season.
That being said, they can certainly surprise, especially if Garland has a big year for them. The former NBA All-Star says that he is healthy and ready to go, so now let’s see if he can help Los Angeles get into a postseason spot by mimicking a prime Irving.
To that end, he believes that people have forgotten how good he can be because of his injuries, but now that he’s back fully healthy, he’s ready to show the NBA world why he was considered one of the best point guards on the planet not that long ago.
“Yeah, for sure. It usually happens like that, especially when you have a couple of injuries. They tend to forget about you. But that’s what another 82-game season is for: to go ahead and revamp yourself, show everybody what you’re capable of. And show the confidence and the work that I put in this summer, to go out there and just lay it on the line,” Garland said.
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