Amid the LA Clippers’ losing streak, Darius Garland’s turnovers have become a massive issue. As the starting point guard, floor general, and the Clippers’ go-to guy, Garland must protect the ball at all costs. Instead, he’s done the opposite, committing 15 turnovers over the last two games. He also has 18 for the season, third in the league to Kyshawn George and Luka Doncic.
Because they lost by just eight points to the Los Angeles Lakers and seven to the Oklahoma City Thunder, one can conclude that the Clippers would be undefeated right now if Garland limited how often he turns the ball over. He’s really holding LA back.
Now, the Clippers sit at 1-3, with the Lakers (3-0), Minnesota Timberwolves (3-1), and Toronto Raptors (2-1) in three out of the next four games.
Darius Garland’s turnovers are really hurting the Clippers
There’s no other way around it; Darius Garland has to do a better job at taking care of the ball. The bigger issue is that it’s not always great defense that is forcing Garland into turnovers. Many of the ones he’s committed thus far have been careless and very easily preventable.
Against the Lakers, Garland set a new career-high with 9 turnovers. You might ask, how many points did the Lakers score off turnovers from start to finish? 33.
Yes, you read that correctly. Even if you cut that number by 75%, the Clippers still walk away with the win, which speaks volumes about how atrocious the 26-year-old has been in his duties as a point guard.
Fast forward to the Clippers’ matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Garland proved his underwhelming night against the Lakers wasn't a fluke. He had seven turnovers from start to finish, and the Thunder scored 38 off them.
As you could probably guess, the Clippers lead the entire league in turnovers with 70. It’s not entirely Garland’s fault, but a chunk of it definitely is.
This leaves the question on the table: What’s the solution?
Either Garland can get it together and do a better job preventing easy opportunities for opponents, or head coach Tyronn Lue can take action by assigning someone else to take much of the ball-handling load off the star’s shoulders.
Ideally, if someone else steps in, it’d have to be Kris Dunn or Keaton Wagler. Those two are excellent at keeping the offense flowing while playing keep-away with the defense.
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