After a disappointing season last year, Blake Griffin is coming back with a vengeance. The Los Angeles Clippers forward had a tumultuous season in 2015-16. Injuries caused him to miss a large portion of the year and an off-court fight with a team manager caused him to be mired in controversy.
So it should be no surprise that Griffin wants to have a bounce-back year. The Clippers are set to be one of the top teams in the West once again. This time, they hope to have their power forward healthy and leading the way.
Part of that process will include Griffin’s growth as a player. Namely, the big man says he’s working on his outside shooting (via the OC Register’s Dan Woike):
“I want to be someone who shoots from there confidently, for sure,” Griffin said after Thursday’s practice at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center. “A lot of us power forwards, our strength is inside or our versatility. You look at the best power forwards, Anthony Davis, LaMarcus (Aldridge), Draymond (Green) … they can all shoot but they can all put the ball on the floor and they can all score inside. I don’t necessarily think falling in love with the 3-point shot is a good idea, but shooting it confidently from there is great.”
Griffin has already improved in that aspect over the years but he is still a below-average shooter. The big man has been able to be successful without a shot. But being able to keep defenders honest can open up the floor for Blake Griffin even more. If he becomes an even average or slightly-below average shooter from deep, he could become an even bigger force to be reckoned with.
