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Grantland: Does Blake Griffin Have a Post Game?
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:03 am
by mkwest
Does Blake Griffin Have a Post Game?When we talk about Blake Griffin, we often focus on one of two things: His fantastic athletic ability, or how he can build on it. There’s a tendency to point at the block and criticize Griffin’s post game, but in actuality, he does a decent job of scoring efficiently there, posting a PPP of 0.836, which places him in the 62nd percentile among all NBA players.
You can find a few things Griffin does well when you review the numbers and the tape. He’s probably best when he turns off of his right shoulder — on both blocks, turning baseline on the left block (70th percentile in terms of PPP) or turning middle on the right block (76th percentile in terms of PPP). When posting on the left block, Griffin is all about speed, quickly turning his right shoulder and spinning baseline.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G2EU6elLZo[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z3Brf5iLL4[/youtube]
I’d also like to see Griffin improve on his face-up game. Griffin’s an athletic guy, so his face-up game should be extremely effective (like Dwight Howard’s, for example). That's not the case, though. In fact, it's probably the worst aspect of his post game. On both blocks, Griffin is in the bottom half of the league in terms of PPP (37th percentile on the left block and 49th percentile on the right block), turning the ball over on just about 12 to 13 percent of his face-up possessions.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUbLlSN1-Oo[/youtube]
Griffin does have a post game, and a pretty effective one at that. He has a go-to move, that spin along the baseline, but he needs to start switching things up, especially on the right block. He's very effective going middle, but doesn't do it nearly enough. He needs to, to keep the defense guessing. Once he does that, he'll start commanding double teams a little bit more, and that's when he can start using his passing ability to hurt the defense. Finally, he really needs to improve his face-up game. If he can do that, his post game will take another step in the right direction.
Sebastian Pruiti,
Grantland
Re: Grantland: Does Blake Griffin Have a Post Game?
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:55 am
by og15
Withouth looking at the numbers, my guess about his face up game issues would be: over dribbling and jumpshot accuracy.
From the video it seems like he had some issues with guards coming from behind and also dribbling and getting into trouble, but it's a limited sample. If he has the ability to face up and then shoot a jumpshot it would help him a lot.
In terms of his back to basket, I think a lot of us have said all season that it isn't bad by any means, quite average to above average and effective, and he shouldn't get near the criticism he gets for having no lost game.
Re: Grantland: Does Blake Griffin Have a Post Game?
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 8:28 pm
by mkwest
I don't think that his postgame is as bad as everyone likes to make it seem. Could it improve? It sure can. Adding a reliable shot opens things up a lot more for him as it gives him options. There are certain situations where he has to work far too hard to get a basket and that showed in the playoffs. If he is able to improve his face-up game and keep the defense more honest, then it's less of a physical pounding that he has to take.
Re: Grantland: Does Blake Griffin Have a Post Game?
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:09 pm
by madmaxmedia
He is effective in the low post. His actual skill set still needs improvement, but his athleticism helps him down low where is able to ball fake, spin move, etc. The comments about a weaker face up game are interesting, I thought his face up game would actually be more efficient. But in actuality he ends up using the same repetoire of moves face up or back to basket, and with back to basket it's probably easier for him to protect the ball.
As his skill set evolves, I think his TO and passing out will improve by itself, as he will be able to read and react faster without having to work so hard for every shot.
He'll always be more raw power and athleticism than finesse and footwork since that just seems to be the type of athlete he is, so I think he will need to work hard to improve the fundamental skills. In that sense he seems like a mini Dwight Howard to me.
Re: Grantland: Does Blake Griffin Have a Post Game?
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:46 pm
by tsherkin
Most people believe a post game is a whirling dervish with 80 moves like Olajuwon. Most guys, even someone like Duncan, get along with a handful of basic options (one middle, one baseline, a face-up jumper) and then the threat of the pass and action in other sets (transition, PnR, late dives for shuffle passes from penetrating guards, etc). Off-ball movement is as important as any scoring move you could choose to use.
Griffin needs to work on his J and, as Sebastian noted, not just relying on spinning baseline or using his quickness. He could face up more and if he had a better face-up jumper to maybe 13 feet (like prime Duncan), then he'd be in far, far better shape. He's got good passing skills and fantastic physical tools, but he does need to sharpen up a thing or two. The passing is critical for me; once that's in place, especially with physical tools, the other stuff will often come along if you just bust hump in the gym and watch tape.
Re: Grantland: Does Blake Griffin Have a Post Game?
Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:34 pm
by madmaxmedia
Yeah, I think it's more a rock-paper-scissors thing. The important thing is to have 2-3 moves you are efficient and comfortable with, so you can beat the defense regardless of how they defend you.