The Detroit Pistons have seen the Blake Griffin effect kick in right away, as the Motor City is 4-0 after acquiring the big man from the L.A. Clippers. Franchise center Andre Drummond and rookie shooting guard Luke Kennard have seen the change Griffin has had in the lineup and how he's turned the team around immediately after suiting up for the team.
“With his addition, it's just been a lot of fun,” Drummond said, according to Ansar Khan of MLive. “He's able to handle the ball, he's a great playmaker. He's doing a great job of adjusting right now. We didn't really understand what was going to happen when we first got him. We didn't know how long it was going to take for him to adjust, but him being the professional that he is, he adjusted very quickly. Three wins already are showing it.”
The Pistons have won all three games since Griffin suited up, including an additional one without him against the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers. Detroit had lost eight in a row before making the blockbuster trade, in hopes to revamp their starting lineup and have a fresh outlook for the rest of the season.
Now at the .500 mark, the Pistons find themselves a tiebreaker away from the Philadelphia 76ers for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, with spots three-to-seven separated by only two-and-a-half games.
“When we're playing (together), he draws a lot of attention,” Kennard said of Griffin. “Obviously, he's one of the best players in our league. Being an opposing team, playing against him, it's tough to play him one-on-one, you got to have a lot of attention on him, and it kind of opens the floor for other guys to make plays, make shots, and he's a really good passer.
“I really enjoy playing with him. When I found out we were getting him I was really excited. He kind of just brings a swagger to our team, on and off the court. I feel like we needed that.”
That swagger could be the ultimate ingredient to bringing this team back to the playoff scene.
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