We watched the late game heroics of the first round of the playoffs. We watched how important shooting is. Damian Lillard ended the first round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a dagger three-point shot.
If there’s one projected lottery player in the draft that could make that same shot, it’s Darius Garland.
From USA Mini Camp,
Date Measured: October 7th, 2017
Height w/ Shoes: 6’2″
Height w/o Shoes: 6’0.5″
Weight: 175 pounds
Wingspan: 6’5″
Standing Reach: 8’1″
These measurements most resemble recently-drafted Jalen Brunson. Brunson is listed at 6’1″ w/o shoes, 6’2.25″ w/shoes, has an 8′ standing reach, weighs in at 198.4 pounds with a 6’4″ wingspan at the time of last year’s NBA Pre-draft Camp.
The biggest disparity is the 20-pound weight difference. A player that is just slightly smaller but of near equal weight is Trae Young, listed at 6’1.75″ w/shoes with a 6’3″ wingspan.
Unfortunately, Darius Garland’s season was cut terribly short with a knee injury. He got hurt just minutes into his fifth game of the season with a torn meniscus. However, despite the incredibly short sample size, Darius Garland put up some eye-popping shooting numbers.
His best NBA skill, by far, is his shooting ability.
Profile
Darius Garland is a shooter. Not just any kind of shooter, but a dangerous one. He’s capable of hitting spot-up jumpers as well as creating his own shot off the dribble.
He has a lightning quick release. That’s a fortunate skill to have considering he’s more of a shooting guard playing the point guard position. He plays with a score-first mentality and has incredible twitch and ball-handling ability to create space for his own shots. It really stands out considering how often he’ll opt for a step back jumper, a side step jumper, or utilize in-out dribbles in combination with a crossover to threaten to drive, only to pull up for an open shot.
According to Synergy Sports Tech, he played over 50 percent of his total possessions as a pick-and-roll ball handler and ranked in the 92nd percentile at 1.00 point per possession.
His spot-up shooting and off-screen shooting percentiles weren’t even listed considering the samples were so small, but when a guard is shooting 47.8% behind the arc, it’s easy to understand why he actually did get 1.571 and 2.25 points per possession, respectively.
While it isn’t reasonable to expect those numbers to continue directly to the NBA level, it does reflect just how great of a shooter he actually is.
Defensively, he did well against pick-and-roll ball handlers, but it’s wise to keep in mind his level of competition; Winthrop, USC, Alcorn State and Liberty were not exactly the most elite offenses.
Frankly, it’ll be tough for him to defend at the next level. He’ll almost always be the smallest player on the floor and doesn’t have incredible defensive instinct (like Allen Iverson) to make up for it by forcing turnovers.
He doesn’t have the most natural feel offensively as a point guard either. Despite great efficiency as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, he can make solid reads, but at times, the timing is just off. Sometimes the passes just aren’t pinpoint accurate. His comfort level really stands out when he plays in shooting guard-type actions, basically to catch and shoot.
Where Does He Fit With The Lakers?
If there’s a skill that the Lakers lack, it’s shooting. Not just spot-up perimeter shooting, but dynamic perimeter shooting. It’s easy to read Lonzo Ball’s step back. Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma are mostly spot-up shooters. Kuzma has flashed some ability off-the-dribble but it’s Brandon Ingram forcing defenses to pedal back before he shoots over the top.
Garland never relied on his size to create space, so the ball-handling and quickness combination is what gets him open looks. Those skills, combined with a highly accurate and quick shot release, make him a deadly perimeter shooting guard.
Darius for the Lakers is a unique fit outside of skill set as well. LeBron James has a history of playing next to spot up shooting point guards. Daniel Gibson, Damon Jones, Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole all fit the same mold. There’s a unique opportunity here for Garland to excel with the skill he does best while developing point guard skills as he matures.
Ball played next to Bryce Alford and Aaron Holiday. Alford was more known for his spot-up shooting while Holiday was known for his ability to attack the rim while still shoot over 40 percent behind the arc.
This is a seamless fit for the Lakers. It’s a seamless fit next to Ball and James. If he’s available at the Lakers spot, he’s possibly the best player available.
