Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland is one of the top point guards in the 2019 NBA Draft, and could be a legit candidate for the Charlotte Hornets.
While many are focused on the action going on in the playoffs, the Charlotte Hornets are focused on their off-season, which will begin with the 2019 NBA Draft.
The Hornets will likely be picking towards the end of the lottery, barring any miracles during the Draft Lottery, which takes place on May 14th.
One option for the Hornets in this years draft could be Darius Garland. With Kemba Walker set to hit free agency on July 1st, it would not be surprising to see the team target a point guard in the draft for insurance purposes.
About Darius Garland
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 174 pounds
Wingspan: 6’5″
2018-19 Stats: 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 54% FG, 48% 3PT, 27.8 minutes.
Strengths:
- Cool, calm and collected lead guard
- Has deep three-point range
- Very good feel for the game, high IQ
- Unselfish, team-first player
- Has very good vision, good playmaker
Weaknesses:
- Really skinny frame, body will need work
- Not an explosive athlete
- Injury concerns (recovering from meniscus tear)
I really wish we got the chance to see Garland in more than just five games during the 2018-19 season. He suffered a torn left meniscus in late November, which kept him out for the remainder of the season.
Since that point, Garland has been training for the draft. He’s a pretty safe bet to be a lottery pick, but it will be interesting to see if any teams are scared of the idea of taking him thanks to that meniscus injury.
If he’s available when the Hornets are on the clock, he could be a really attractive pick. Like I mentioned earlier, there’s a legit chance that Kemba Walker plays elsewhere next season, so Garland would instantly give them their point guard of the future.
Even if the Hornets do keep Kemba, Garland is such a talented player with all the tools to be a successful point guard at the next level, so he’d be a good pick regardless.
He should fit in nicely in today’s NBA, thanks to his combination of shooting and speed. He may have a tough time defensively, like fighting over screens, but he does compete hard, and you love to see that quality in a young player.
I think the fact that his draft stock has not really dropped after sustaining the injury says a lot. He’s got his flaws, but overall, the positives outweigh the negatives and he could really go anywhere in the 4-14 range.
Garland’s best performance from his short college career was against Liberty on November 19th. The 6’3″ guard, who was born in Indiana, scored a career-high 33 points in the win, adding four rebounds and four assists in the process.
Liberty is a good, well-coached team, so it was an impressive performance from Garland and the Commodores. If Garland never got injured, I would like to think Vanderbilt wouldn’t go 0-18 in conference play.
As we inch closer and closer to the draft, Garland is definitely a prospect to keep your eye on. He has many fans around the league, and could be the point guard the Charlotte Hornets need in case of a Kemba Walker departure.