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Post game, mid-range jumper, free throws, defense in general — you name it, every area of Blake Griffin‘s game besides his dunks is highly criticized. The Los Angeles Clippers power forward is 50 percent of the league’s time on Sports Center Top Ten and 50 percent of its criticism.
On Monday, it seems like Jeff Capel, the guy who recruited Griffin to the University of Oklahoma, has finally had enough. Capel came to the defense of his most famous Sooners recruit via a Twitter rant:
Blake Griffin soft? That’s an absolute JOKE!!! There are definitely things he needs to improve on with his game. He’d be the 1st to admit that. But calling him soft? What a crock! Bc he doesn’t retaliate? What was the Clippers record b4 he got there? If he retaliates and gets suspended, does that not hurt the team? It’s not like they have a history of winning! He will continue to use this negativity to get better and become the player I know he can be.
Capel has a point about the whole “soft” comment. Griffin seems to have on court issues with every other big man in the Western Conference: Zack Randolph, David Lee, and DeMarcus Cousins are just a few players who Griffin has had conflict with. Chances are, he’s not just an innocent bystander.
Sure, Griffin needs to improve to become a premier player. However, if he decided to go the Allen Iverson route and not practice, he would still be a top-20 player — just not in the same category as his fellow NBA All Star team members like Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, and Dwight Howard.
Griffin’s performance at the line is a central point of his criticism. Yet, he pulled his free throw shot percentage up to 66 percent this season. In the playoffs, he shot 80 percent. Griffin ranks 20th in the NBA in free throws and ninth in free throw attempts. Across the board, Griffin’s regular season averages were 18 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
His dunks make the rest of his production look less impressive.
