The Los Angeles Clippers kicked off their post-Kawhi Leonard era with a bang, blowing out the Sacramento Kings 121-96 in Wednesday's season opener at the Intuit Dome. 

Turning the page on an offseason hounded by the salary-cap circumvention saga involving Leonard, the Clippers treated their fans to an outstanding performance led by star point guard Darius Garland. 

Coming off a 2025-26 season in which he played just 45 times due to injuries — 19 for the Clippers after a midseason trade that sent James Harden to Cleveland — Garland looked back to his best, pacing the hosts with 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting (3-for-8 3PT). He added four assists. 

Following the departures of Leonard and Harden — and the Clippers losing their first-round draft picks for the next five years — Garland is the unquestioned face of the franchise right now and still young enough at 26 to spearhead the long-term rebuild. 

Head coach Ty Lue liked what he saw from his floor general, acknowledging that the Clippers will need that level of production consistently to stack wins. 

"We need [Garland] to be aggressive," Lue said postgame. "But being aggressive also comes with making the right play. You have to make your teammates better... Coming out, setting the tone offensively, scoring the basketball. 

"And then in the second half, he just orchestrated, got guys shots, and took his when he had the opportunity. I thought he had a really good floor game." 

Garland averages 6.7 assists per game in his career, and although he finished with four on Wednesday, the gravity he created with his offense in the first half opened up the floor for the Clippers. 

Garland's display set the standard. The team's performance gave hope. 

The Kings are largely expected to be the worst team in the Western Conference this season. However, the Clippers were, too, given the circumstances surrounding the organization. 

Therefore, the Clippers rolling to a 25-point victory without ever trailing signaled they might not be the bottom feeders everyone thought they were. 

The Clippers' roster has a bunch of talent on it. Is there a hard ceiling on how far they can go as currently constructed? Sure. But could they exceed expectations and maybe even make some noise around the play-in? Certainly. 

Especially if their role players and rising stars keep firing as they did against the Kings. 

Rookie guard Keaton Wagler — the No. 5 overall pick in this year's Draft — impressed in his Clipper debut, posting 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 29 minutes off the bench. He shot 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. 

Wagler's growth, even just from Summer League in July to the season opener, is something the organization should be excited about. The 19-year-old could soon join Garland in the starting lineup. 

Elsewhere, Rui Hachimura (10) and Isaiah Jackson (13) combined for 23 points, putting three of the Clippers' starters in double figures. 

Veteran Brook Lopez emerged with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double in 27 bench minutes. Arriving from the Toronto Raptors in the Kawhi trade, Gradey Dick poured in 12 points (3-for-4 FG) off the pine in his debut. 

And the best news is that midrange specialist Brandon Ingram has yet to return from injury.