Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin is currently listed as questionable for Game 1 of his team's first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews.
Griffin missed four of the Pistons' last seven games while dealing with a sore left knee, despite the team only earning its playoff berth on the final night of the regular season. He didn't play Detroit's season-ending comeback win over the New York Knicks, a game it needed to win to advance to the postseason.
At practice on Saturday, Griffin stressed patience in his ongoing recovery, even refusing to say whether he would play if Game 1 was on Saturday.
“We’re taking this day by day,” he said, per team beat writer Keith Langois. “I’m not looking forward to a day that’s not here right now in front of me. I’ll sit with our training staff and whoever else needs to be in on that decision and make that each day.”
The nine-year veteran enjoyed a bounce back season in 2018-19, playing a brand of point forward for the Pistons while emerging as a reliable, versatile shooter from beyond the arc. He averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game, making his first All-Star team since 2014-15.
Milwaukee, the league's best team by a considerable margin during the regular season, would be a sub-optimal matchup for any potential playoff foe, but especially the Pistons. Detroit's greatest strength, the rare scoring and playmaking ability of an oversized ball handler like Griffin, stands to be rendered of relatively little consequence given the presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league's leading MVP candidate.
Needless to say, the Pistons stand to struggle even more than anticipated should Griffin be unable to play, or even be on the court at something less than 100 percent — a near certainty given his nagging knee pain.
Follow Us
Subscribe
