Darius Garland has been an electric addition to a surging Los Angeles Clippers team that's fighting for a Play-In spot and eventually, a chance to contend deep in the playoffs and for as much of an impact as he's made on the court, he knows that the key to success in basketball is joy as much as it is skill. 

The NBA can be a grueling grind with a long season little rest in between. It takes a certain mental strength for anyone to keep going consistently throughout the season. For Garland, he finds that strength in the joy and the fun that he feels from playing basketball and realizing what would be the childhood dream for so many. 

"You've got to keep it fun. 82 games is a long season. Different time zones, different cities. Going through scouting reports, going through film, workouts. It's a lot going on in the season," Garland said. "Got to always remember that it's a child's game. You've been playing this game since you were a kid. So, you've got to always have fun with it."

With the business of the NBA, the multi-million pay checks of the players and the seemingly high stakes that are placed on every team because if the communities that they represent and the legacies that are on the line, the fact that basketball is a game can sometimes get lost in all of the noise. 

But, as Garland put it, it's a game for children. It's supposed to be just as fun playing on an NBA court as it was playing in parks or at the schoolyard. He reminds himself of that and by keeping the joy that the game brings him close, the gratitude he feels for his his position an outweigh the stress of the exhaustion of the season's grind. 

That joy is evident when Garland plays. When he's called back into a game from the bench, he springs up and runs to the scoring table, eager to get his shot again. 

He has fun in the process itself. Garland gives it his all on the court because he truly enjoys it and always has. He added that the work and playing the game the "right way" is what makes the game fun and that he grew up playing that way and truly doesn't know anything else. 

That excitement is the kind of mentality you need to outlast a NBA season and it's part of what's helped Garland be such a huge add for the Clippers.