There’s no official timetable on Blake Griffin’s return to the Clippers lineup, but conventional wisdom says he’ll be back on the floor this month. The Clippers have gone 23-7 without Griffin, more than enough to keep themselves afloat and dangerous in the Western Conference.
Clippers guard Austin Rivers talked to Steve Gorman on Fox Sports Radio about how the ball movement has progressed in Blake’s absence, and the need to sustain it upon his return:
“You’ve got to understand, because we haven’t played with Blake, our ball movement has been a lot better. I think we learned a mutual thing that’s like ‘alright, listen Blake, since you’ve been out, we’ve learned to move the ball better, so when you come back, we’re still going to play like that. But now we have you back, we’re still going to play through you at the same time.’ So I think we’ve both have learned things. There’s times when it’s obvious we need Blake, so I think it’s a learning experience for both of us. There’s no way we could be worse with Blake Griffin back on our team. It’s not possible. He’s one of the best players in the NBA, so we can’t wait to have him back.”
There’s always a healthy balance to achieve for teams with a star player, or multiple. They need their touches and they’re going to be the key focus of your offense, but in the best case scenarios they are also able to help others shine. When Blake Griffin was taken out of the equation, the Clippers more heavily relied on Chris Paul to spearhead an even more pick-and-roll focused offense, but the Clippers also turned into a team that does it by committee. The challenge, as Rivers alluded to, is maintaining that mentality even when Griffin returns.
Griffin is an excellent passer, but he has the tendency to catch and hold, causing the ball to stick. When the game slows down in the playoffs, however, the Clippers will need to play through Griffin at times, but winning just on pure talent isn’t enough. Rivers understands that balance must be achieved if the Clippers are to make any sort of legitimate run.
