Before the season, ESPN had Blake Griffin at #33 in their annual player rankings. It was quite the departure from his top ten status just a few years removed.
There was a time when Griffin was must-see TV. Earth-shattering dunks, dizzying spin moves, and smooth ball-handling were all a part of the show. You were guaranteed to see something new and exciting every night. Then the injuries crept in. That lead to a gradual loss in athleticism and thus, the WOW factor took a hit. Add in the constant complaining to the refs and the in-team beefs and it was becoming a tiresome grind just to follow the team.
After signing a massive, $173M max deal to return to the Clippers in the summer of 2017, he was shockingly traded to the Detroit Pistons. And here we are. His first full season in Detroit began last week and has been a roaring success thus far. Through three games, he is putting up gaudy averages of 36.3 pts, 11.3 rebs, and 5.7 asts on 53.3 fg% and 61.1 3pt%. Griffin is constantly working on his three-point shooting and is now comfortably launching six treys per game. It remains to be seen how long his accuracy will hold up, but he is very comfortable behind the arc. Though his jumping ability has taken a step back, he is still not afraid to attack the rim when given the opportunity. It may result in getting stuffed at the summit by Jarrett Allen (in the season opener), but can also lead to a power dunk over Joel Embiid, as seen in last’s night contest vs the Sixers.
The dunk on Embiid was part of a career-high, 50 point extravaganza by Griffin. He connected on 20 of his 35 field goal attempts, including 5 of 10 from downtown. He had a bank shot in the post to send the game to overtime. He then capped it off with an And-1 drive with 1.8 seconds in OT to seal the win. The reaction from NBA Twitter and the media after the game was a microcosm of how he is largely viewed. People were shocked. They didn’t know Griffin still had it in him. The truth is his skillset never eroded. In fact, his game is constantly expanding. And if healthy (as we’re always reminded), that’s a scary thought for the rest of the NBA.
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TNLP. We’re forever gamechangers.