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Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin has been sidelined for the first seven games of the season due to knee soreness and a hamstring injur, but the big man says he is nearing his return:
“I feel great and I’m ready to go whenever they give me the green light,” said Griffin, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Pistons have actually managed fairly well without Griffin, as they have gone 3-4 in his absence. But, of course, they still need their best player back on the floor:
“I’m close, very close,” Griffin said. “The training staff tells me it’s one day at a time. They tell me what I’m doing the next day, and that’s it, because they know I’d go crazy if I have a timetable. The team has a plan and I trust our training staff. They know what they’re doing so I’m going to listen to them.”
Griffin is getting set to begin his second full season in Detroit. He joined the Pistons midway through the 2017-18 campaign after coming over in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Last year, Griffin had an under-the-radar terrific season, averaging a career-high 24.5 points to go along with 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists over 35.0 minutes per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor, 36.2 percent from 3-point range and 75.3 percent from the free-throw line en route to an All-Star appearance.
What's more, the 30-year-old actually played in 75 games, marking the first time he appeared in 70 contests in a single season since 2013-14.
However, late-season knee problems gave Griffin some trouble, and he was forced to miss the first two games of Detroit's first-round playoff loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last spring.
He then underwent surgery to repair the issue during the offseason.
