With Blake Griffin out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair his ailing left knee, Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey admitted that they will miss his scoring and leadership on the floor.
Per Rod Beard of The Detroit News, Casey pointed out that it will be difficult — and almost impossible — to fill the void left by Girffin. Casey also shared that the team is aware of their direction and situation without the All-Star power forward on the floor.
“The 25 points, the leadership, the toughness, the presence of Blake — you're not going to replace that ,” Casey said. “We know the direction right now; we know what we're dealing with — it's not ‘Is he playing or is he not playing?'”
Blake Griffin missed the first 10 games of the season due to several knee and hamstring injuries. In his return, Griffin didn't look like his old self. In 18 games, he averaged career-lows of 15.5 points and 4.7 rebounds while also shooting just 35.2 percent (a career-low) from the field and 24.3 percent from deep.
Griffin's absence is a tough blow to the up-and-coming Pistons squad. After all, in the 2018-19 season — Griffin's first full season donning the Detroit jersey — they made it all the way to the playoffs as the eighth seed. Coach Casey, too, was instrumental in their first postseason appearance since 2009.
The Pistons currently sport a 14-24 record for 10th place in the East. They still have a chance to secure another playoff appearance, but without Griffin, it will be a tough assignment.
The organization may need to get back to the drawing board and look for someone who can fill the void he left on the offense and in the locker room. Moreover, with the trade deadline looming, it won't be wrong to expect the Pistons to make some moves.
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