Kawhi Leonard has gotten people excited by talking about his early conversations with new teammate Darius Garland. This suggests that the two will work well together in the future for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Darius Garland, who was recently traded to the Clippers from the Cavaliers, can’t wait to play with Leonard, even though he hasn’t played yet because of an injury. The team is 25-27 after a rough start of 6-21. Since mid-December, they have been on fire, going 19-7 and looking for a spot in the Western Conference playoffs. Lawrence Frank, the president of the Clippers, said that they want to build around Leonard, who is 34 years old and has one year left on his contract after the season. He dismissed trade rumors.
Leonard showed that he is still a title contender by scoring 41 points against Minnesota and holding Jaden McDaniels to just 2 points. Garland, who is 26 years old, says that his playmaking will “make [Kawhi’s] life a little bit easier.” He compares this to Tyronn Lue’s past success with Kyrie Irving. Coach Lue wants to speed things up by using Garland off the ball to help Leonard’s game.
The Clippers traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac to get younger players. They are now focused on long-term competition without rushing Leonard’s load management. There is an ongoing investigation into Aspiration, but Frank says the goals haven’t changed. He wants Garland to keep playing at a high level for years to come. If everyone stays healthy, this new roster makes LA a real contender for the NBA title.
