Darius Garland finally made his debut for the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, suiting up as the Clippers took on the Golden State Warriors. 

Garland came off the bench, playing 23 minutes and finished with 12 points on 4-9 shooting, 2-7 from three, two rebounds, two assists, and five turnovers. 

It was his first game action since January 14, when he was still a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Garland had been sidelined with a toe injury, playing in just 26 games prior to Tuesday's contest. 

On February 4, Garland was acquired from the Cavs in exchange for James Harden ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

Speaking to the media after the game, Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard gave his thoughts on Garland's debut. 

"It's hard to judge, but I mean obviously he did great. Stayed aggressive, knocked down some open shots, looks very promising out there. He is very active defensively when guarding some couple of their centers in the post. I enjoyed his whole performance tonight," he said. 

Kawhi praised Garland's competitive nature, saying he expects Garland to push the pace and call sets to make sure the offense doesn't stagnate. He said Garland is an All-Star player and he's looking forward to playing with him more. 

Coming into the game, Garland was averaging 18 points and 6.9 assists with the Cavaliers. This was his first time coming off the bench since May 14, 2021, when he was in his second season. He came off the bench in the second-to-last game of the season after dealing with an ankle injury that sidelined him for seven straight, playing just 12 minutes against the Wizards on that night. 

The Clippers underwent big changes at the deadline, not only trading Harden for Garland, but also dealing Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson. 

Mathurin has quickly equipped himself in the Clippers lineup, but Garland will be counted upon moving forward to play a more pivotal role as the leader creator at point guard. 

His first game was a mixed bag, as to be expected considering he hasn't played basketball in nearly two months and now has to navigate being part of a new team and system. 

The five turnovers can be attributed to rust and unfamiliarity, which should improve with time and reps. He averaged 2.5 turnovers last season, the lowest number of his career, showing improved ball security and decision-making with Cleveland. 

What Garland did well was finding Yanic Konan Neiderhauser in the middle and mixing up his attacks. Based on the first game, there is reason to be optimistic with the new look Clippers moving forward.