While Blake Griffin is a much different player than the posterizing bully that he was back at the turn of the decade, he has a much more developed game all around the court. Blake may not have thought it’d be in Detroit, but he’s playing the best basketball of his life.
2018-19
Blake Griffin is scoring 26 PPG, a career high. He’s also adding his second-highest assist numbers (5.3 per game), as well as grabbing 8.1 rebounds. His FG% is at 48%, which reflects his more dynamic offensive game compared to his early seasons. He’s shooting threes at a 36% clip, second to his 40% rate in 2015. However, Griffin was only a shooting a three every two-and-a-half games then, compared to 6.6 attempts per game this season. He’s even taking the ball to the foul line more often, averaging just under eight attempts per game, a five-year high.
Changing the Game
Over the past few seasons, the “point forward” has become more prevalent in the NBA. LeBron James started the trend of big men who can run the offense and punish from everywhere. Giannis Antetokounmpo has shown time and time again this season how brutal he can be. Even James Harden can attribute some of his success to the trend of non-traditional point guards running the offense. While Griffin doesn’t quite yet have the same freedom, he has all of the required attributes.
Griffin had a reputation as “just a dunker” when he entered the league. This was never true, but his game has adapted over time. Griffin’s injury record is one of the worst in the league. His body took serious damage from fending off 7-footers to rebound and block. After averaging 12 RPG his rookie year, Blake has averaged less per season almost every season since. Currently in his ninth season, Griffin’s only seen an increase on the previous season twice in this column, per
The Multi-Faceted Shooter
In his rookie year, Blake Griffin shot 21 threes in total, with only one in each corner. This season, Griffin has shot 280 threes in 43 games. He enjoys a lot of success from the corners today. In 35 shots from the left corner, Griffin is shooting nearly 49%. While he’s shooting just over two fewer shots in the restricted area per game now, his made-percentage has gone up 6%. In fact, only his mid-range game has gotten worse. However, he’s shooting about 1.7 mid-range shots per game this season compared to 4.5 in his rookie year.
Blake is an entirely different player, but the versatility of his offensive game makes him a much more dangerous one. Now that his percentages are up because of his versatility, the Pistons have a player who can feasibly guide them to the playoffs. However, there’s one more thing that they could do.
Griffin the Point Guard?
It’s what everyone wants to see. We’ve seen glimpses of how great Blake Griffin can pass and dribble, so why not give him the keys to the offense. He has all the skills and ability, and the Pistons are still a pretty bad team regardless, so why not let him show off what he has? Motor City has the likes of Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith to play at the point. Those are hardly eye-catching names. Meanwhile, you have a top-20 player, who’s already your best player, chomping at the bit to be unleashed, so why not?
Blake Griffin is very clearly playing the best basketball of his career. He’s not as flashy or dominant, but whether you watch him live or just look at the stats, it’s impossible to deny how well Griffin is doing. An All-Star appearance next month is definitely in order too.
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