Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE
Clippers power forward, Blake Griffin is ready to go after recovering from knee surgery suffered in Olympic training camp earlier this summer. The Los Angeles Clippers are definitely thrilled to have Griffin back in time for the season, However, there is cause for concern in “Lob Angeles”.
For what it’s worth, the knee surgery Griffin had was a minor arthroscopic surgery. The surgery was done on the same knee Griffin broke in the final game of the preseason his first year in the NBA. Minor or not, Griffin has had two surgeries on the same knee. This could raise some eyebrows in the Clippers’ front office, especially after signing Griffin to a five-year max extension deal.
The good news is Griffin’s first surgery obviously didn’t hinder his game one bit. He was selected as an All Star, won the Slam Dunk Contest, and was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. Griffin’s high fly act quickly dubbed the Los Angeles Clippers into the “Lob City Clip Show”.
Rather, its Chris Paul lobbing the ball to Griffin in the open court, or getting high above the rim for an authoritative slam, the Clippers have become a hot ticket in town and Griffin’s flying all over the place has a big part to do with it. Now that Griffin has had 2 surgeries on the same knee, he will have to approach the game in a different way.
Griffin is not going to stop dunking the ball. Especially when he has Paul serving him up on a consistent basis.
However, Griffin will have to incorporate other facets of the game if he wants to preserve his knees. Adding more depth to his game will add longevity to his career. Instead of looking to dunk the ball every time he gets it. Look for Griffin to improve on his short range jumper this season.
This has been something Griffin has struggled with his entire NBA career. He has been known to miss wide open shots in critical moments of the game. Improving on this part of the game will have an immediate impact on his team and will help Griffin in the long run.
All in all, Griffin will still be Griffin. He’ll just be a more mature version of the Griffin we have seen over the past several years.
