Vanderbilt Basketball: NBA Draft profile of Commodore guard Darius Garland

Strengths

Watch one possession of Darius Garland as a lead ballhandler. In even a 7 second sample, all of the Kyrie comparisons manifest themselves. He’s like Matthew McConaughey in the Lincoln commercials, just the smoothest dude in the world. With the ball in his hands, he floats through the court like a formula one car weaving through gorgeous side streets on the Amalfi Coast. For basketball affectionists, it’s a thing of pure beauty. Throw stats out the window (don’t worry I’ll get back to them in a bit), this guy passes the “eye-test” with flying colors. Not the one-on-zero workout test, the This Guy On Vanderbilt Is Miles Better Than Everyone Else On The Court eye test–a thought I’m certain never entered my mind until Garland achored down. Where to even start with his offensive strengths (the source of 100% of his strengths, unfortunately).

First of all, his handle is bonkers. Garland can effortless get to any spot on the floor with the basketball in his hands. The quickness of his hands and the twitchy, off-balance yet totally controlled movement on the dribble is nearly unguardable. He could break Houdini’s ankles.

Garland, as a mere 19-year-old, possesses a deeper portfolio of dribbling nuances than half of the starting point guards in the NBA. Simply put, players as naturally gifted as Darius Garland with the ball in his hands just don’t come around very often. I’m confident in saying he’s the best ballhandling prospect since, geez, at least De’Aaron Fox in 2017, and maybe even further back than that. He maintains technical fluidity, incredible hand-quickness, and snap decision-making, executing pick-and-roll possessions as a savant with his combination of the three. That translates to the NBA, I know it, I’ve seen it, over and over again.

Aside from the handle, which, as you can see, makes my eyes water, Garland’s other elite commodity is his shooting ability. In his abbreviated stint in Nashville, Garland was a mini-assassin from beyond the arc, connecting on 48% of his attempts (11 of 23). As a pure number, that stat is nearly meaningless because of the laughable sample size. Look, I took AP Stats in high school, and my favorite teacher Mr. Noe (there aint no daddy like the NOE DADDY!) made it very clear that sample size is remarkably important when it comes to any statistical study. 23 three-pointers is a miniscule sample size compared to someone like North Carolina’s Cam Johnson who shot 210 times in 2019 alone from distance. So taking that 48% number and using it in your next basketball conversation at a local bar would be foolish. Because sample size. Remember: it’s crucial.

I’m more encouraged by Garland’s shot mechanics and the sheer totality of shots he took and made. Judging by his willingness to chuck 27 footers (and swish them) mid-way through the shot clock in college, I’d say Garland will adjust to the extended three-point line rather easily. Whether from 27 feet or on a mid-range dribble pull-up off a screen, Garland can maximize space and get his shot off quickly and with little defensive resistance. Of course, he’ll be seeing taller, longer, and simply better defenders at the next level, but Garland just has a knack for creating his own shot in any variance of space. No ilk of shot is out of the equation; he can snipe on step-backs or put his head down, power drive the lane, and ad-lib an exotic mind-twisting finish, each created by way of his brilliant ballhandling, of course.

Garland has the ideal pallet for a lead offensive guard in terms of raw scoring ability. At this stage of a point guard’s career (the pre-draft analysis), it’s easy to get caught up in the negatives and pick apart someone’s game in the blink of an eye. That opportunity doesn’t supersede Garland (as you’ll see in a few seconds), but I’m still so high on him because of that ability to create and make his own shot with no more help than that of a simple screen. To operate as a perfect offense in the NBA (and an effective one in the postseason), you need guys who can create their own offense. Bucket getters. Someone who can take over a possession, and furthermore, a game, with their ability to score the basketball. In my eyes, Garland has that future in his back pocket. I’m excited to see him unleash it.