Blake Griffin: Career rewind
It seems like yesterday that Blake Griffin was a superstar, a double double machine and one of the best power forwards of the 2010's era. If you have seen him in his prime then you know how good he was. This guy was the real deal!
Most of us remember Griffin for his crazy posters and out of the gym dunks but he also had many other aces in his sleeve. Amazing dribbling skills for a PF, efficient mid-range shot, quick and agile and most importantly a menace in the low post!
So, today we honor Blake by doing a rewind of his career!
Enjoy!
Early years
 |
| Blake Griffin (right) and his Brother Taylor (image source: Sports Illustrated) |
Blake Griffin was born in March 16 of the year 1989 in the state of Oklahoma. He attended high school in the Oklahoma Christian School alongside his brother Taylor.
Griffin was a great high school player. In his senior year, he averaged 26.8 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 blocks per game, while leading his team to a 29-3 record and the state championship where he was named MVP. That was one of the four state championships that Griffin won in his high school career.
Blake was the best player in the state and was ranked as the 3rd best at his position while being the 18th best of his class which included names like Derrick Rose, Kevin Love and Eric Gordon.
NCAA legend!
Griffin commited to the university of Oklahoma rejecting offers from big time programms like Duke and Kentucky.
Blake wasn't just your typical NCAA player. He was a star from day one! With averages of 14.7 points and 9.2 rebounds in his freshman year, he was a projected lottery pick for the 2008 draft but he decided to stick with the Sooners for one more year.
And that was a wise decision. Griffin was unbelievably good at his sophomore season. He led NCAA in rebounds with 14.4 per game which was the most since Tim Duncan in 1998 who had 14.7. He also averaged 22.7 points along with 2.3 assists and was named an All-American first team. Griffin was unstoppable and earned every award possible from every major publication!
- Oscar Robertson trophy
- Associated press player of the year
- Player of the year by the Big 12, Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News
That's right! Griffin was THAT GOOD! The NBA was waiting for him, so after his sophomore season ended, he declared for the 2009 NBA draft.
Superstar from the start!
 |
| Blake Griffin became all star in his rookie season. |
Griffin was selected with the 1st overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers who were looking for a superstar to pull them out of mediocrity. Blake was the right choice and the summer league where he was named MVP, proved that point.
But he was unlucky. In the last preseason game, Griffin sustained a knee injury which caused him to miss his original rookie year, 2009-2010. Clippers had to wait. What if this injury was crucial to their young star's success?
That proved to be just a little setback for Griffin. He was ready to go for the 2010-2011 season and oh boy was it worth the wait. Griffin was amazing in his first year in the league! He became the first rookie since 2003 and Yao Ming, who was selected to the all star game and with numbers of 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists he won the rookie of the year unanimously while being the first player to do so since 1990 and David Robinson!
Ohh and let's not forget that Griffin participated in the dunk contest of the same year where he won by doing THIS dunk!
The future seemed bright for Griffin and the Clippers. They were only some pieces away from competing for a title.
Lob City era
In Griffin's second year in the league, Clippers completed a blockbuster trade that landed them with arguably the best point guard of 2010's: Chris Paul.
Paul was originally traded from New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Lakers but the NBA vetoed the trade. Clippers saw the oppurtunity and cashed right in.
This was a match made in heaven. Paul and Griffin clicked right away. The Clippers inherited a fast paced offense with a lot of transition plays and pick rolls which often ended in an alley oop dunk.
This highlight oriented playstyle ultimately gave clippers the nickname 'Lob City'. For the 2011-2012 season, Griffin and Paul led the team to it's first playoff berth since 2006! Even with Paul's addition, Griffin still averaged a crazy statline with 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Clippers were able to make it to the second round but lost to the more experienced San Antonio Spurs. But even the most distrustful fan could see the progress. Griffin on his second year had already changed the fate of the franchise from being one of the worst to one of the best teams in the league.
MVP Material
The 2012-2013 NBA season was a record breaking for the Clippers. They won 56 regular season games and finished 4rd in the west. For Griffin it was a season of adjustments. His production dropped a bit to 18 points and 8 rebounds. There was a reason behind this.
Griffin relied solely on his ability to drive to the basket. He hadn't develop a reliable post up game and outside shot which are crucial abilities for an NBA big nowdays.
The results weren't the best. Griffin's shot still needed a lot of work. Even with Griffin struggling, Clippers had an amazing season. In the playoffs, they faced the grit and grind Memphis Grizzlies of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
Clippers after winning the first two games of the series, collapsed losing 4 games in a row and got eliminated.
Career year
In the 2013-2014 all the work that Griffin had done to his game, started to show up. Griffin played 80 games and had career numbers in points with 24.5 per game. He was hitting mid-range jumpers with ease and added a 3 point shot to his arsenal. The teams couldn't just leave him alone and let him drive to the post.
Griffin also developed his passing game becoming a facilitator in the pick and roll and improved his post up game. Griffin was not your ordinary PF anymore.
 |
| 2013-2014 MVP race |
With the Clippers winning 57 regular season games, Griffin finished 3rd in the MVP voting. In the playoffs, after elimimating Golden State Warriors in the first round, they faced Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Clippers were unable to surpass the superior OKC and lost 4 games to 2.
Chemistry issues and injuries
The 2014-2015 NBA season was looking like the year that the Clippers would finally break out. They finished 3rd in the west with a 56-26 record. Griffin was more mature than ever, averaging 21.9 points, 7.5 rebounds while dishing a career high 5.4 assists. Griffin had transpired himself to a point forward which was a crucial part of the team's overall success.
Clippers had a very deep roster also with players like Deandre Jordan, 6th man legend Jamal Crawford, sharpshooter JJ Redick, Matt Barnes and Austin Rivers. With CP3 and Blake leading the way, Clippers entered the playoffs where they faced in the first round, the defending champions San Antonio Spurs.
It was one of the best playoff first round matchups of the recent NBA history. Clippers were able to advance with a 4-3 over the Spurs. Clippers were no joke anymore.
In the second round Blake and his crew faced the Houston Rockets. After 4 games Clippers were leading the series 3-1. This was their moment. Clippers would finally get their first taste of Conference finals. Can you guessed what happened next?
Yes, Clippers blew a 3-1 lead. They choked a double digit lead in game 5 and lost 2 more games. It was clear that the team had chemistry issues in the locker room. After this series things weren't the same.
The next two seasons, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 were more of the same for the Clippers. Griffin and Paul faced many injury issues and the team wasn't able to pass the first round of the playoffs for both of those years. That was the icing on the cake. Paul was traded to Houston Rockets in 2017 offseason and that was it. Lob city era was no more.
But hey....Griffin was still there...
The betrayal
After trading Paul, Clippers didn't want to lose another superstar so they decided to offer Griffin a humungus 180 million 5-year contract. It seemed like Blake would be in LA for life.
But not even a year after signing this huge contract, Clippers decided that it was best to trade him. It was a huge blow for Blake. It was like a betrayal, the franchise he trusted the most after giving him the world send him away like he was an ordinary player.
Griffin was shipped to Detroit and the Pistons. The roster was subpar but Blake seemed like he had find his touch again. In his first full year with the Pistons, he averaged 24.5 points 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists. He was an all star and led the Pistons to their first playoff appereance since 2016.
In the first round against Milwaukee Bucks, Griffin injured his knee but still gave his heart out and played through it. Although Pistons got eliminated 4-1. After the injury Griffin was not the same player anymore.
The downfall
In 2019-2020 season Griffin only played 18 games due to injury. He averaged just 15.5 points per game in those he played. The next year Pistons had enough and bought out Griffin's remaing contract.
Griffin signed with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-2021 season, who at that time had the superstar trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving in hopes of winning a championship but he was unsuccesfull. His contribution to the team was actually non-existent.
After his short stint in Brooklyn, he signed a contract for 2022-2023 with Boston Celtics but was only playing 12 minutes per game without having a significant impact in the box score.
And that was it. That was the last time Griffin laced up his shoes for an NBA game.
How good Griffin was?
Griffin retired at just 35 years old. He stopped being an impactful player since 31 years of age. That's quite young if you think that players like Lebron, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant and James Harden still play at a high level.
But still, that doesn't take away the fact that Griffin was a superstar in his prime. A top 2 power forward behind Anthony Davis and a Top 20 player all time in his position.
An MVP caliber player at his best, Griffin evolved and became a multi-dimensional superstar who offered a lot in his game. Injuries and unlucky circumstances (mostly injuries) robbed him from a greater career than the one he had.
Still though, at the end of the day, Blake Griffin will be remembered as one of the best power forwards of all time, who revolutionized the position and changed the game. His crazy dunks and highlights will be playing in basketball social media pages for the years to come.
Salute Blake! Enjoy your retirement.
The Sports Bust - James Bartzis
Σχόλια
Δημοσίευση σχολίου