Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey praised forward Blake Griffin and his basketball intellect, one of the reasons his team has managed to cling to the last playoff seed in the Eastern Conference:
“He does a little bit of everything for us. Probably one of our better pick-and-roll players, passers, scorers, leader by example, just so many things,” said Casey, according to The Associated Press. “His basketball intellect, for me, is one that’s been the most impressive of our players. I didn’t know that about Blake, because when you think about him, you think about the high-flying dunker and the muscular guy in the post, but there’s a lot more to that than just his dunking and athleticism.”
Casey took on the Pistons job shortly after parting ways with the Toronto Raptors, despite being named Coach of the Year after bringing the aforementioned to a franchise-best 59 wins last season.
Upon taking the helm in Detroit, his outlook of the newly acquired star quickly changed, viewing him as the willing passer and quick-reacting forward he has become after venturing beyond the post:
“He’s thinking the game. He’s a couple steps ahead,” Casey said of Griffin. “I’ve had a lot of great forwards, power forwards, and he’s right up there with the best, whether it’s Dirk (Nowitzki), (Kevin) Garnett, Detlef Schrempf – just a lot of great players that I’ve been around. He’s right in that category.”
Griffin's ability to couple his power moves with a deft outside shot and passing abilities make him a complete player, one worthy of an All-Star mention after missing the cut the past three seasons.
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