The Detroit Pistons took a risky move by trading some of their best assets for star forward Blake Griffin prior to the NBA trade deadline. Yet his former team, the L.A. Clippers, have had a much better trajectory since he left Los Angeles, while the Pistons haven't been able to thrive with their new star.
Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy has yet to figure out why this team hasn't been able to put it together, but he won't blame it in his multi-million dollar man.
“Look, he’s just a really, really good player,” Van Gundy said, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. “Whatever problems we have, have not been because of him at all.
“His attitude has been great, his play has been great, and when we get healthy and get the right people around him, this is going to be a good team.”
Griffin's numbers have been eerily similar to the ones he's put up this season with the Clippers — taking the same number of shots and getting relatively the same shooting percentages, while his assists have gone up and his rebounding rate has gone down with a monster on the glass like Andre Drummond.
The 29-year-old is averaging 20.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game in 23 games for the Motor City, but it's the never-ending lack of consistency at the point guard position that has ultimately killed this team, forcing others to create offense for themselves without a dynamic playmaker to put them in the best spots.
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