Niko Regalbuto-
When discussing elite power forwards in the NBA, perhaps nobody faces as much criticism as Blake Griffin. We’re enamored with his rim rattling dunks and his uncanny ability to run the floor, yet it’s hard to avoid the most flawed area in his game. People routinely say “he only dunks”, but my question is, why is that a bad thing?
Blake Griffin’s boundaries are what make him the player he is. We berate Josh Smith for his tendency to shoot long jumpers, yet we criticize Blake for… not shooting them? It’s like we see him doing these super-human things, displaying unfathomable leaping ability and athleticism for a person his size, so for that reason we hold him to a higher standard. If he had the ability of a Kevin Garnett or LaMarcus Aldridge to step out and hit that jumper there’s no doubt it would make him a better player, but he doesn’t. And while he is working on developing that, he still has a career average of over 20 points per game.
Griffin’s unparalleled athleticism is by far his biggest advantage, so why is he criticized for exploiting it? No other big man in the league can run the floor like him, and his mix of quickness and strength allow for a spectacular array of moves in the post. I absolutely hate when people say he has no post moves, because that statement is incredibly misguided. He may not be Olajuwon-esque, but then again, nobody is. He can muscle you into the paint, his jump hook has vastly improved, and he uses the up and under regularly. His dribbling ability from the face-up position is unfair, and his signature spin move is almost un-guardable. Seriously, look at this and tell me what other power forward can do it:
Oh, and this.
His defense, which has been an issue in the past, is following his offense down the road of improvement. He’s posting a sub 100 defensive rating, making him 19th in the league just behind players like Kevin Garnett and Marc Gasol. He is also doubling his steals per game from last year, despite playing fewer minutes.
My point is that Blake Griffin is a great player in this league, yet people tend to talk about his flaws rather than appreciate his positive attributes. He does dunk a lot, but until anyone stops it, why should he? He does catch a lot of ally-oops, but until someone can contest them, I presume he’ll keep jumping. He’s one of the most dominant players the league has to offer without the advantage of a quality jump shot. I’m not sure whether to be impressed with his ability to dominate the opposition without one, or fear the day he develops it.
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I enjoyed this article as Griffin does receive some unfair criticism.
Specifically responding to this excerpt: “I absolutely hate when people say he has no post moves, because that statement is incredibly misguided. He may not be Olajuwon-esque, but then again, nobody is. He can muscle you into the paint, his jump hook has vastly improved, and he uses the up and under regularly. His dribbling ability from the face-up position is unfair”
I think Griffin’s athleticism allows him to finish some plays in the post that most players couldn’t — he is definitely better going to the middle, but when he catches the ball on the low block he has no ability to face-up and hit a jumper or dribble, and he routinely goes baseline, gets stuck in the air, and throws it away. He has, in my opinion, the worst footwork of any big man in the NBA. This is the area in which his criticism is completely warranted — but when people criticize his stat-stuffing with dunks, alley oops, defensive boards, and fast break points they are criticizing a man for playing to his strengths, which is unfair. I would have loved if this article talked about Griffin’s passing ability – especially when he catches the ball in the high post in a “Horns” set, where he routinely hits guys coming off weak side flex screens, a skill that many big man lack (i.e Javalle Mcgee, Roy Hibbert, and Dwight Howard).
All in all, a good article that deserved to be written. \
I probably should have mentioned his passing ability, because he is one of the best passing big men in the league. But when you say “when he catches the ball on the low block he has no ability to face-up and hit a jumper or dribble” I have to disagree. Blake shoots 47% from 3-9 feet, when he steps out farther is when he begins to struggle. While I agree his footwork is not the best, if we’re comparing his dribbling ability to that of other power forwards he is top tier.
Thank you for your input, it means a lot to us!
Fair enough, but I think he can catch and shoot much better than he can face-up and hit a jumper. Regarding his dribbling, while he does have handles I think that many times he aimlessly dribbles and ends up in bad position trying to force a shot or drive to the basket. If he learned to jump off two feet his post-game efficiency would exponentially increase.