Blake Griffin put forth his latest miserable performance in the Detroit Pistons' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, finishing with just eight points and five rebounds in 27 minutes while shooting 2-of-14 from the floor (0-of-6 from three-point range).
Griffin was so horrendous, as a matter of fact, that Pistons fans—who are typically tame in their treatment of their own players—rained boos upon the six-time All-Star.
If this were just an individual outing from Griffin, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But the fact that it is part of an alarming trend is what makes it so worrisome.
In 16 games this season, Griffin is averaging just 15.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists over 28.6 minutes per game while shooting 35.9 percent from the field, 25.3 percent from long distance and 78.4 percent from the free-throw line.
His scoring and rebounding are at career lows. His assisting is at his lowest point since his second season. His field-goal percentage is, by far, the worst of his NBA tenure (and probably his entire playing career).
It's pretty much all bad for Griffin right now, who is clearly not 100 percent after undergoing offseason knee surgery.
The Pistons have been playing the load management game with Griffin, but it's obviously not working, as the extra rest isn't doing him any good.
A simple solution would be sitting him out for an extended period of time until he is fully healthy, but there is more than meets the eye here.
This isn't just a 2019-20 campaign problem; this is something that could plague Griffin for the remainder of his career.
Now 30 years old, Griffin has not exactly been a beacon of good health since entering the league. Knee injuries have been a major issue for him since he was drafted, as he missed his entire rookie campaign as a result.
And since the 2014-15 season, Griffin has played in 67, 35, 61, 58 and 75 games, respectively, up until this year. He has also missed time due to injuries in each of his last three playoff appearances.
Surprisingly, Griffin's game has aged well. He is not nearly as dependent on his athleticism as he was in his early days, as he has extended his range beyond the three-point line and has shown stark improvement in his free-throw shooting.
He has also developed into one heck of a playmaker.
Regardless, Griffin, like any other NBA player, is still largely reliant on his explosiveness and lateral movement to be effective, and he clearly does not have either right now.
He is not beating guys off the dribble, he is not getting lift on his jump shot and he is not even able to crash the glass.
Basically, Griffin is a liability out there, and this comes after a 2018-19 season in which he played some of the best all-around basketball of his career.
At this stage, you have to wonder if all of the injuries Griffin has sustained over the course of his NBA journey have finally taken their toll.
There are a lot of mileage on those legs, and the violent style of play Griffin utilized over the first several years of his career have added a whole lot of tension.
Of course, Griffin still has a chance to turn things around, but the future is not looking too good for the man who was once the poster child of poster dunks.
Those days may be long gone.