What are we getting in Blake?

[Prokorov]

Hi Pistons fans.

I come in peace. Nets fan hear wondering what we can expect from Griffin. Being a hardcore fan, i know that watching a few highlights, 2-3 games, and looking at stats doesnt tell you what watching every game will.

The GB has a typical "he stinks/He is gonna be great he wasnt trying" response. but that is just lazy.

Our Board is doing the typical "cant go wrong it was low risk" but then "he hit 8 threes vs whomever, he can be a starter here"

For me, i see a really skilled guy who lost his legs/lift who so far has had trouble reinventing himself. His threes the last few years have tanked and trying to watch full game highlights his misses seem short. the whole "he hasnt dunked since 2019" thing is pretty much just GB click bait but it doesnt lend some credence in my mind to his lift is effecting his overall game. he seems to still finish well. but a prime blake had guys running out of the way to avoid posters.

He seems to be a top of the key to top of the key guy who doesnt venture inside much. rebounding is done and from the little/odd sample ive seen he boxes out more then going for it and opponents seem more willing to try and outjump him then give up. I think his reputation helpded him in the past and that mystiquw is gone and its effecting his production.

Anyhow, what are we actually getting. is he a better stretch 5 then jeff green? is he a better small 5 then claxton? can he still move his feet switches on a small? is he a good shooter and the numbers are just small sample wonkyness?

I hope you guys hang on to grant. seeing him delt to boston would make me vomit a little

[flow]

Not much left in the tank. Shell of himself is accurate. But he's still a basketball talent. The Nets should design sets to facilitate offense through him in the post. I don't know if Nash/D'Antoni have that in them, though. Otherwise, he'll just be standing around waiting to jack up a shot.

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[JustinSane]

Blake was nothing but a class act in his time in Detroit, and I'm rooting for him. However, this season he honestly has looked like he's wholly spent. No lift, no mobility. He can still pass, and he's a reasonable spot up shooter, but that is everything he has left.

[Manocad]

When healthy he can add a little scoring but he’s definitely past the point of being a “You know who would fill that need? Blake Griffin” type of player. His greatest value is that he CAN score, meaning he still has the ability to score, but is not guaranteed to score.

[ducler]

Hard to tell... I really hope for all of us that he has something left to give you.

I saw desperation in his eyes/body language a couple of times this season. His head wanted to be impactful, but his body didn't follow. So he tried to adapt his game (again) as he realized he wasn't able to do the things he did 2 years ago. That was painful to watch honestly.

But the Nets' situation with less pressure on his shoulders, less playing time, good teammates and coaching staff, could be nice for him.

What you can expect offensively: nice BBIQ, assists, some postmoves, more of pick&pop than pick&roll anymore, and I'm sure he can improve his pourcentage from 3. Better to play him on a slow pace O.
Defensively, he will drop some charges, can matchup well against big bodies, but is too slow to guard the quickest guys anymore.

[vege]

The games he was effective this season, were the games where he played inside on offense. He can still play bully ball, and that's what he could bring to Brooklyn. He's strong, has a high bbiq, and he is a very craft/excellent finisher. His shot has been bad, but where he was really hurting Detroit was on defense.

He can't defend anyone at all. He was playing almost like a goalkeeper around the basket, his mobility is really bad. We were playing 4 on 5 on defense, with him on the court.

The one good thing he brings on defense is, he is very good at take charges. Probably the best in the league (again, very high bbiq player)

The thing he brings and Brooklyn doesn't need is, his ballhandling/playmaking. Brooklyn should have the ball on Harden or Kyrie hands all the time, not Blake. He is a good passer.

He should be very motivated, so maybe he'll put some effort on defense, and he'll probably play a lot more bully ball than he played for us.

[DBC10]

In all reality, keep your expectations really low. It will not go well if you play him more than 20+ minutes or god forbid start him since the Nets aren't a great defensive team.

Crunch time minutes, he's not playing either, you're better off with Bruce Brown as your PJ Tucker small ball center than him at this point

[Drwho17]

I think he's pretty much done, you can see him dragging a leg running up/down the court. He's probably league average at the 3 point shot, which he was taking a lot of. I don't think he was saving himself or anything this season, he's always been the kind of player to give it all, taking charges, going after loose balls etc., he just doesn't have the base athleticism to be a good NBA player anymore.

[DCintheD]

Someone who won’t really help or hurt your championship aspirations. You’ve got harden, kd, and kyrie for f***’s sake

[Billl]

Who knows. The off time did not treat him well. He looked really bad to start the season, but he seemed to be rounding into better shape before we shut him down. Not old Blake shape obviously, but looking a lot more fluid getting up and down the court.

I think he could really help the nets if you just use him a a finisher vs running anything through him. He's still built like a brick house, so if he's getting the ball where he can just clear a bit of space with his bulk and put it up, he'll look OK. I don't know if this will continue on the nets at all, but he was also still drawing doubles when he got the ball low. Obviously, that's a different calculus if he's out there with all-stars vs some of your bench defenders.

[Snakebites]

I think he may be able to add something offensively with more open looks, but he’s not great off-ball.

Defense is BAD though.

[Prokorov]

thanks for the info. hopefully blake can play some role for us, and not just be the next Dwill on the Cavs kinda thing

[oldncreaky]

Hard to tell... I really hope for all of us that he has something left to give you.

I saw desperation in his eyes/body language a couple of times this season. His head wanted to be impactful, but his body didn't follow. So he tried to adapt his game (again) as he realized he wasn't able to do the things he did 2 years ago. That was painful to watch honestly.

But the Nets' situation with less pressure on his shoulders, less playing time, good teammates and coaching staff, could be nice for him.

What you can expect offensively: nice BBIQ, assists, some postmoves, more of pick&pop than pick&roll anymore, and I'm sure he can improve his pourcentage from 3. Better to play him on a slow pace O.
Defensively, he will drop some charges, can matchup well against big bodies, but is too slow to guard the quickest guys anymore.

The games he was effective this season, were the games where he played inside on offense. He can still play bully ball, and that's what he could bring to Brooklyn. He's strong, has a high bbiq, and he is a very craft/excellent finisher. His shot has been bad, but where he was really hurting Detroit was on defense.

He can't defend anyone at all. He was playing almost like a goalkeeper around the basket, his mobility is really bad. We were playing 4 on 5 on defense, with him on the court.

The one good thing he brings on defense is, he is very good at take charges. Probably the best in the league (again, very high bbiq player)

The thing he brings and Brooklyn doesn't need is, his ballhandling/playmaking. Brooklyn should have the ball on Harden or Kyrie hands all the time, not Blake. He is a good passer.

He should be very motivated, so maybe he'll put some effort on defense, and he'll probably play a lot more bully ball than he played for us.

Agree with everything said.

Don't expect him to play at all after the first round of the playoffs. His lack of mobility makes him a huge liability in any PnR action, and covering for him will create even more problems, so any coach worth his salary will game-plan Blake off the court by game 2. Maybe Coach Bud won't be able to figure it out, but BOS/MIA/IND/TOR all have coaches who will take advantage of him.

He is still one of the smartest players in the league, so he will add locker-room/mentoring value

[dVs33]

The laker game from earlier this season is a good example of what I’d expect from a motivated Blake.
Obviously you’re not getting that every day, but he still has some game left.
I hope he stays healthy. I appreciate what he did in Detroit and wish him the best.

[buzzkilloton]

You're getting that old 40 YO big man in your pick up game who can barely move down the court but can still hit some 3s and make a nice pass. YMCA Blake will have moments but dont expect all that much.

[tradez401]

I think blake can give Brooklyn a few nice games like when we played LA he almost looked like his old self.

[Invictus88]

I wish for his sake that I was more upset with the fact that he was leaving. That he had taken the Harden route of bailing on his team in order to selfishly extricate himself from the Pistons and move to greener pastures. He did nothing of the sort.

He gave everything he had up to and including playing injured. But age has not been kind to him and his ailing knees. It was painful to watch the last year and a half; having seen up close what he was prior.

He took a lot of bumps and bruises these past 18 months as he continuously tried and failed to do things in the post that worked previously. He'd often end up on the floor; with the ball skittering out of bounds or poked away and him calling for fouls that never came. His outside shot - which was already flat - now finds its way to the front of the rim more often than not. His aim true but his legs betraying him there too.

He was always willing to come and play. Never complained. Head was always in the game. Towards the end he knew he wasn't the same person; as evidenced by being much more willing to try and pass out of clock-ending situations that he would previously make a point of seeking out.

I hope for his sake that he finds success on the Nets; that with the added spacing and lack of defense everywhere else that his shortcomings are less apparent; that he is able to get a ring there that I believe he has earned.

[tmorgan]

This has already been said, but it’s worth repeating: in the playoffs, he’s gonna get murdered by everyone with scoring acumen that isn’t an undersized post player. Outside, he can’t move his feet. Inside, he has no lift to challenge shots. Sure, he’s strong and takes charges, but dudes are just going to go right around him or right over him.

I know Durant will play good D in the playoffs. Harden might. Deandre will if he’s healthy, at least for stretches. Harris is solid. But you guys need more defenders in the worst way, and Blake is so anti-that that I wonder what the rationale was in picking him up.

[Uncle Mxy]

Was Blake sandbagging it this season as a Piston, looking for a buyout?
Or, have injuries caught up and "sandbagged" is now his natural state?
Tune in and see...

[pistonsbball]

One thing for sure is he's a baller, a competitor and he generally steps up in the big moments, he could definitely still "hang" in a high level playoff type game. I'm sure he would've found it difficult to find the motivation with this Detroit squad around him and the direction the franchise was taking.

I'm not sure he'll be able to share the floor with the big 3 as he needs the ball in his hands to be most effective and he's a liability on D most nights. I wouldn't expect much, maybe some crucial late 3rd/early 4th buckets is where he'll be most valuable.