Darius Garland discusses injury recovery and Clippers goals

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Darius Garland has discussed his recovery from a significant toe injury and his transition to the team following a trade from Cleveland. Garland revealed that he underwent surgery to reconstruct torn ligaments after a bone bruise worsened, causing him to miss 37 games during the 2026/27 season. He noted that playing through the injury felt like a “mental fog” because of the constant use of his toes during movement.

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Garland expressed his desire to emulate the playing style of Kyrie Irving during his 2016 championship run with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He mentioned discussing this vision with Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, who also coached Irving during that period. Garland stated he is excited to implement that style into his own game as the team prepares for the new season.