![]() ![]() Now, instead of Griffin diving toward the basket like a freight train, he’s stepping and staying back a la Kevin Garnett or LaMarcus Aldridge: As simple a process, there was no other play the Clippers used that had as big an impact on the defense. After a lob or two, coaches shift their strategies to keep Jordan from rolling to the rim untouched, unintentionally opening the floor for shooters. The same occurs here: similar play and situation, with Griffin rolling, the defense committing, shooters getting open, and points being scored. Look at how Griffin’s roll after the pick with Chris Paul affects the entire Atlanta Hawks defense: Of Griffin’s 16 assists, only three come off penetration from the roll, two being alley-oops to DeAndre Jordan, a play we’ve grow accustom to over the years. Apart of what’s made Griffin an elite player over the years is his ability as a passer, and by diving following the pick-and-roll, he was able to put that skill to use often as defenses reacted quickly to him penetrating the lane. For perspective, that’s close to a 73% increase from the 2013-14 season and that’d put him in rare air, joining a group of 11 players who’ve hoisted mid-range attempts in a season - the most? Michael Jordan in ’02-03 (1056) the most recent? LaMarcus Aldridge last season (899) - dating as far back as NBA stats shot location database goes (2000-01).Īnother reason why Griffin’s love for the mid-range shot is an issue is because he’s falling into a trap: defenses want Griffin to shoot because it makes their jobs easier. Through his first five games of the season, Griffin has attempted the second most mid-range attempts in the league at 49, only behind Kobe Bryant (this’ll likely change tonight after the Trail Blazers-Mavericks game). This means Griffin is on track to shoot a little over 800 mid-range attempts per game if his production remains. If you lower the qualifier from 500+ attempts to 400+ attempts in the restricted area, that group grows from just James to James, DeAndre Jordan (466 attempts - 71.9%) and Kevin Durant (413 - 77.5%).Īs seen in the above photo, Griffin’s attempts in the paint accounted for ~60% of his offense that figure is ~40% this season. Last season, the lone player who attempted 500 or more shots in the restricted area to finish with a higher percentage than Blake Griffin (651 attempts - 70.8%) was LeBron James (581 attempts - 78.3%). Why is this such an issue? It takes away from Griffin’s greatest strength: finishing at the rim. In 2014-15, that figure increases to 51%. Notice the difference? The dark blue areas reflect where the bulk of Griffin’s shots are coming from, and when comparing the two seasons, there’s been a drastic increase from the mid-range for the 2014-15 season.ĭoing the math, in 2013-14, 34% of Griffin’s attempts came from mid-range. Here are Griffin’s shot distribution charts for the 2013-14 season and the first five games of the 2014-15 season courtesy of NBA Stats: But if you’re vision is clouded in Griffin bias, I’ll let the numbers spell this one out for you. If you’ve two working eyes, you’ll see what the above tweeters have spoken on. Its cool that the Clips are trying to extend Blake’s game a bit, but he’s taking far too many long jumpers imo.įully Clips Twitter follower tweeted this during a recent discussion about Griffin’s “evolving” we wanted him to be able to hit a few jumpers, not become a shooter, peeves me off Haralabos Voulgaris, famed bettor and NBA fanatic, tweeted this when the Los Angeles Clippers lost their first game of the season to the Sacramento Kings. The discussion around Griffin’s attempts aren’t anything new. It’s not a good sign when Griffin’s shot attempts nearly mirror that of Bryant’s, especially a Kobe who’s lack of athleticism due to age and back-to-back injury forces him to settle from range rather than attacking the basket. The other? Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. You’ve likely guessed one is Blake Griffin thanks to the title of the article. Hint: they’re both players for professional teams in California. Player Y has shot 28 restricted area attempts and 49 mid-range attempts. In 2014-15, Player X has shot 24 attempts in the restricted area and 55 mid-range attempts. ![]()
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