While he was with the LA Clippers, Blake Griffin never really had the opportunity to truly lead because Chris Paul—not to mention other veterans like Jamal Crawford and Paul Pierce—always took the initiative.
Chris Paul, in particular, was with Blake Griffin through all but one of his years with the Clippers and was the unquestioned vocal leader of the team during that time.
Now, Griffin is with the Detroit Pistons where there are no Chris Pauls, Jamal Crawfords or Paul Pierces present. It's just Griffin and a bunch of youngsters headlined by the likes of Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson.
As a result, Griffin has been able to become more vocal as a leader, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
“I’m definitely more vocal,” Griffin said of his role now. “I think I’ve done a lot more teaching. Not necessarily teaching, but pointing out things that I see this year as opposed to years before. Just out of necessity. I think our teams were so old in L.A. that every guy knew what we were doing. So it’s been a cool challenge to change that up and figure out a different way to lead.”
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey also said that Griffin is the unequivocal leader of the team.
This season, Griffin is averaging a career-high 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists over 35.9 minutes per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor, 36.5 percent from 3-point range and 74.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Follow Us
Subscribe