Now that Blake Griffin is a member of the Detroit Pistons, the question becomes how he will be able to mesh with the team's resident big man, Andre Drummond.
The two players, now teammates, have very different games. Playing them together could pose a problem, one that head coach Stan Van Gundy cannot afford if he is to make a push for the playoffs with Griffin in tow.
But Van Gundy has not decided on what to do, but he as a pretty good idea, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
“We haven’t decided all that yet, but I do think there’s times where they’ll both be on the floor together. But I think I would like to stagger it where most of the time, at least one of them’s out there on the floor,” Van Gundy said after Wednesday’s practice.
Van Gundy's instinct is right here. Drummond is a guy that players traditionally back-to-the-basket basketball. Griffin, on the other hand, is much more dynamic of a basketball player.
In addition, Drummond gets the offense run though him from the elbows a lot. And that's an area in which Griffin is also effective. You can't have both players doing that at the same time.
So staggering the minutes and maximizing their strengths is the right way to go. The hope is that each unit will have at least one very good player with it at all times to anchor the offense, and hopefully, the defense as well.
The Griffin era in Detroit as officially begun, and it'll be fun.
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