Published: October 8, 2009
Scout: Bernard D. Brown
Player: Blake Griffin #15 Team: Los Angeles Clippers Summer League
Height: 6′10 Weight: 251 Position: PF
2009 Las Vegas Summer Stats: 5 games/34.6Minutes /.500(FG%) / .143(3FG%) / .459(FT%) /19.2ppg / 10.8rpg / 3.2apg / 0.4bpg
BODY/ATHLETIC ABILITY:
Strong build with above average strength for his age (20). Long Wingspan. Runs the floor very well, and is quick for a PF, and excels in the open court with excellent leaping ability. Griffin also posses good lateral movement for his size, and great floor stamina.
SHOOTING ABILITY:
Below to average shooter at best. Griffin’s form has not yet come around, even though it has improved throughout the years at Oklahoma. Needs to develop a soft touch from the outside, considering many of his shots would be too strong, or wouldn’t have enough height on the ball especially within the 14-16 foot jumper range. His free throw shooting also needs adjusting. He shot 45.9% from the line in the summer league, and shot 59% for his career in college. Again, with a softer touch he can be in the 70-75% range in the future. Likes to also take the three point shot on occasion, which will most likely not be in his repertoire in his NBA career, but has shown the willingness to develop behind the arc.
OFFENSIVE GAME:
Griffin is a great scorer, and will most likely continue to do so at the professional level. He uses he pure strength down in the post to get to the rim with little to no resistance from his defenders. Good footwork as of now, however if he can develop more inside post moves and develop his face-up jumper, Griffin can catapult himself as one of the best post players for years to come for the Clippers. Has a good basketball IQ most of the time, but while at Oklahoma, he tended to force up shots at times that were not necessary. Good passer for a PF, he understands well when to kick it back out to the guards for an open shot or to get re-settled in the paint. Most notably Griffin has shown the ability to dominate his defenders with his above average speed in the post (especially loves to drop baseline), and his incredible ability to leap over/around his defenders for easy dunks.
DEFENSE AND REBOUNDING:
Average defender. Relies too much on his strength when it comes to defending. If he develops a better defensive stance, he has a good chance of becoming a good defender. Decent shot blocker, but that side to his game still hasn’t come around. In the future he will probably develop into a shot blocking threat, but not at the moment. Excellent rebounder, uses his leaping ability and strength once again as he clearly shows he is either the best or one of the best rebounders on the floor. At Oklahoma, had stretches of eight games where he grabbed 14+ rebounds, and also had five games last year with 20+ rebounds in a game with his season high being 23 boards. At the next level, Griffin will continue to be a rebounding presence and will most likely average close to over 10.0 rpg in his rookie campaign. In Las Vegas, Griffin went for 8,10,15,9 and12 rebounds in his five games with Los Angeles.
FUTURE:
Griffin clearly showed why he was the #1 pick in this years draft while playing in Las Vegas this summer. He proved that he can step in instantly and produce for the Clippers this year just based on his raw abilities now. He is already a good overall player at this level, many believe he is a more athletic version of Carlos Boozer, but if he can continue to improve on his outside/free throw shooting, he could become a stronger/just as athletic version of Amare Stoudemire if he devotes himself to all facets of his game. Overall, Griffin looks to be a “can’t miss” pick for the Clippers with an incredibly bright future that should span 12-15 years barring any major injuries in his career.
