Clippers' Problems Go Well Beyond Darius Garland

The Los Angeles Clippers are in the midst of their longest losing streak since 2017. After blowing a 20-point lead to the Miami Heat on Wednesday, the Clippers are tied for the worst record in the league at 1-7.

As the team's undisputed best player, Darius Garland has been the Clippers fans' favorite punching bag during this stretch. While this is understandable, it's important to remember that LA's problems extend far beyond Garland.

Darius Garland Is Far From Being the Clippers' Biggest Problem

A lot of the criticism Garland is getting is well-deserved. He has been a turnover machine. He has been struggling immensely against size and physicality. On the defensive side of the ball, he has been a non-factor.

As a result, he has one of the worst on/off metrics in the entire league. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Clippers are an incredible 37.8 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor than with him on the bench.

That essentially means that when he is out there, the Clippers are the worst team in the league (-17.9 net rating). When he is off the floor, the Clippers are the best team in the NBA, with a +19.9 net rating.

Of course, it has only been eight games, and this is a small sample. No individual player will actually be capable of causing such dramatic swings in his team's performance over a larger sample size. But the fact that Garland has been a massive disappointment can not be denied. And this is a problem Ty Lue and the Clippers have to fix.

However, there are bigger issues for the Clippers. Context is important when judging individual player performances, and the Clippers have certainly not provided Garland with the optimal conditions to thrive.

The role of the injuries can't be ignored. Bradley Beal and Brandon Ingram, who are supposed to be the second- and third-best creators on the team, have yet to play. Max Strus missed the first six games of the season. Add the absences of Jordan Miller and Yanic Konan Niederhauser, and the Clippers lacked the necessary depth and quality for much of the season.

This made Garland's job much harder. The Clippers at least have some defensive talent as long as Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. are available. Offensively, however, Garland has one of the most limited surrounding groups in the NBA. Dunn and rookie Keaton Wagler being the only other players who can dribble the basketball is not an ideal situation.

Plus, there is the center rotation. Brook Lopez has exceeded expectations, and Isaiah Jackson is doing his best, but this is one of the worst big men rotations in the league. Lopez's mobility is very limited, and he lacks foot speed. He can only be effective around the rim defensively. Jackson is more mobile and athletic, but he doesn't have the size and physicality.

This is simply not a good enough roster to compete night in and night out. Garland has been bad, to be sure, but how far can a team with him as the best player realistically go? With Ingram out, who is even the second-best player on this team? Rui Hachimura? Derrick Jones Jr.? Max Strus? Did anyone really expect Garland, who is nowhere near a top-25 player in the league, to carry this team to a postseason spot?

The Clippers have to come to terms with the reality. They have some solid role players and decent veterans, but they don't have enough to compete, especially when they are this injured. Blaming it all on Garland misses the point.

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