Darius Garland enrolled at Vanderbilt as a highly touted, five-star prospect and, in the early days of his college basketball career, the freshman point guard looked the part of a high-end player. Unfortunately, Garland’s debut season was cut short after only five games when a left knee injury sidelined him for the duration of the campaign.
When the injury surfaced in late November, there was speculation that Garland would never again suit up for the Commodores. On Tuesday, that became reality when he announced his intention to withdraw from school and declare for the 2019 NBA Draft.
Next Chapter🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/nK4b1qdox3
— Darius Garland (@dariusgarland22) January 22, 2019
Garland is projected by many to be a lottery pick in June, despite his lack of opportunity to “prove himself” at the major college level. The 18-year-old from Nashville isn’t necessarily an off-the-charts athlete but Garland brings a full array of shot-making tools to the table that will play up at the next level and, at 6’3, he is long enough to overcome some of the theoretical issues regarding his explosiveness.
Beyond that, Garland comes with rave reviews in terms of attitude and make-up to go along with an intriguing handle that will allow him to function as a primary creator in the NBA. Because of the lack of tape, there will be some level of uncertainty with regard to Garland’s draft stock but his shooting stroke (47.8 percent from three on limited college attempts) will provide a high floor and this is a relatively weak point guard class at this early stage.
Garland may slot in behind Ja Morant as the No. 2 point guard available when the draft arrives and, though it will be intriguing to monitor his pre-draft workouts, the injury shouldn’t allow him to drop all that far when teams are on the clock in June.
