The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, suffering their second defeat in a row and dropping the team's record back to .500 overall. The team was of course without Kawhi Leonard, who went down in the fourth quarter of LA's game with the Kings on Saturday with a sprained ankle.

Monday was Darius Garland's sixth game in a Clipper uniform, and it was his second consecutive contest scoring 25 points. He's really beginning to round into form and get comfortable with the rest of the roster. Garland's night against the Spurs ended with a double-double, and was highlighted by a crazy logo three-pointer. 

After the game, Ty Lue was asked at the podium about Darius' offensive performance.

"I think we need him to shoot more threes, like in the pocket on the pick-and-rolls, because we knew Wemby was going to veer," Lue said. "So like, to come off and then try to attack and dance against him, you're not going to win that too often." 

This is a smart read on the game from Lue. Garland is dangerous off the dribble and can make a lot of defenders miss, but Victor Wembanyama is a different animal. Trying to beat him off the dribble in the paint is something most players in this league aren't going to be able to do.

"So I think he thinks it's selfish to come off and just shoot it, but we need that," Lue said. "Pocket threes against Wemby to try to open the game up. But I thought overall, he was pretty good ... I thought he made the right decisions, made the right reads." 

It makes sense why Garland would feel this way at this point in his Clippers tenure. He's just getting settled in to the offense, and he doesn't want to be overly imposing or chuck up too many shots. But as Lue explains, the offense is going to need those kinds of decisions to optimize performance. 

This adjustment is really just a matter of Garland trusting his own offensive gravity. When a defense has to account for his ability to knock down the pull-up three, it opens everything else up, like cuts, post-ups, and drives for his teammates.

Against a rim protector like Wembanyama, this kind of gravity can change the game because it forces the big man to make a choice. Step out and you've moved the most imposing shot-blocker in the game away from the paint. Stay back and Garland gets a clean look from beyond the arc. 

Six games is still an incredibly small sample size, and the version of Garland that Clippers fans are seeing right now is still very much a work in progress. Chemistry and comfort level will continue to grow with time. But Garland leaning into his shooting rather than away from it is precisely what can maximize his output. 

If Darius Garland can internalize his head coach's message, LA might just continue to unlock something truly dangerous with this roster.