L.A. Clippers: What Blake Griffin Can Learn from Tim Duncan

Blake Griffin is one of the most entertaining players in the NBA and he is one of the main reasons for the resurgence of the Los Angeles Clippers.  From his phenomenal dunking to his overall charisma, he has given fans reason to pay attention to his team for reasons other than their dismal history.

Still, as good as Griffin is, he's also one of the most overrated players in the league.  He has averaged 21.7 points and 11.5 rebounds in just two seasons, but at this point, the former Oklahoma Sooner is little more than a scorer who dunks 95 percent of the time and has a knack for catching rebounds that come right to him. 

That all being said, it's no surprise that his Clippers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs at the hands of Tim Duncan and the veteran-laden San Antonio Spurs.

In the series, the 36-year-old Duncan looked 10 years younger as he worked the low post extremely well and even showcased his jump shot.  The younger Clippers had no idea how to handle his versatility, thus making him hard to defend. 

Such was not the case for the Spurs and their defense on Blake Griffin.  All they really had to do was try and shut down Lob City, which they did in a four-game sweep.

Thus, I'm about to pose an interesting idea for Griffin to pursue.  Rather than just work on his general game during the offseason, he should instead seek guidance from a peer.  I don't mean a coach, sports psychologist or even a teammate.  I'm talking about Tim Duncan himself.

Look at it this way.  As I mentioned before, Griffin is an overrated player, albeit an entertaining one.  Besides his dunking ability, what else can he really do?  Some may point to his rebounding, but just because someone averages double-digits in that department doesn't necessarily make that player a good defender.  Case in point, Amar'e Stoudemire.

Duncan, on the other hand, is everything a power forward should be.  He isn't afraid to drive to the basket and put his body on the line to draw a foul, and his defensive game is incredible.  In his first eight seasons, he averaged 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and two-plus blocks per campaign.

On top of that, Duncan showed great leadership skills on the hardwood.  Though slotted in at power forward, he was actually more like a point guard, never hesitating to create plays on the fly.  Throw in his versatility when it came to scoring the ball, and it's obvious as to how he has won four NBA championships and two MVP awards.

That being said, Griffin needs to meet with Duncan if he ever wants to be considered one of the greats.  His numbers are there, but the "great player" qualities aren't.  Right now, he's just the star of a team and one of Chris Paul's go-to guys.

Simply put, Griffin needs to prove to the Clippers, their fans and himself that he is more than just someone in the spotlight.  He and Paul need to join forces if their team is to be successful in the long run, but that can't happen until he changes his approach.

Otherwise, the Clippers' first overall pick in the 2009 draft is as good as wasted.