New York Knicks: Three reasons to take a flier on Blake Griffin
By Allen Settle
Blake Griffin: The On-Court Fit
This is not prime Blake Griffin. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have value. The former All-Star averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists during his last full season in 2018-2019. He also chipped in 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game during 18 appearances during an injury-shortened 2019-2020 campaign.
By all accounts, Griffin is fully healthy headed into next season. We have seen how quickly that can change. But it may be worth the flier.
Additionally, Griffin’s game would brilliantly complement young prospects like Mitchell Robinson and RJ Barrett. Robinson, a more traditional big with very little floor spreading ability, cannot play with another non-shooter. Thankfully, Griffin has developed as a legitimate threat as a three-point shooter over the past several seasons. In fact, he has averaged 33 percent from beyond the arc over his career. In 2018-2019, he also took a career high seven threes per game and hit a career best 2.5 per contest.
Not only could he space the floor for Robinson to feast around the rim and Barrett to drive, but his exceptional passing ability would also be a great asset. Griffin has long been considered one of the better passing bigs in the game. If healthy, he would serve as a more effective version of Julius Randle. He could initiate the offense and create easy offense for a developing roster. As evidenced by his effectiveness with Deandre Jordan and Andre Drummond, this would be particularly beneficial for Robinson.