Blake Griffin: Pros and Cons of the Los Angeles Clippers Big Man's Game

As a rookie, Blake Griffin captured the imaginations and computer screens of NBA fans across the globe with his breathtaking athleticism and vicious viral slams.

Projections for Griffin's second season were wildly optimistic. He had a chance to become the best power forward in the NBA. 

But after a season in which it seemed like he didn't make any improvements to his game, and according to some maybe even took a small step back, Blake had to face some backlash against his breakout stardom.

Though he still racked up double-doubles on a near nightly basis, Griffin gained a reputation for being a whiner and a flopper. That story began to overshadow his impressive skills on the court.

There are some great elements to Griffin's game that are now trendy to dismiss, while there are also flaws that people are correct to point out.

Let's take a look at five pros and five cons of Blake Griffin as a basketball player, beginning with the bad news first.

Con No. 1: Can't Make Free Throws

This is the greatest hindrance to Blake Griffin's game. I believed Griffin would improve on his 64 percent free-throw shooting as a rookie, citing the 70 percent clip he converted at post-All Star break.

Not only did Griffin not show any improvement, he actually took a huge step backward in his second season, shooting a miserable 52 percent at the foul line.

Griffin's free-throw woes are compounded by the fact that teams can somewhat neutralize the best facet of his game—attacking the rim—by sending him to the foul line to earn the two points instead.

As a result, Griffin becomes very tentative during crunch time, not driving hard to the basket in order to avoid trips to the stripe. 

Blake must improve dramatically in this area, especially since he takes 40 percent of all Clippers free throws. Right now, he's leaving a lot of extra points out there on the court.

Con No. 2: Can't Consistently Hit Open Jumpers

Teams are inviting Blake Griffin to take jump shots by simply ignoring him when he has the ball 15 feet from the basket and beyond.

Griffin has to prove to teams that he has the ability to confidently knock down a decent number of those open shots in order for defenders to play up on him and create more driving lanes to attack.

Con No. 3: Lack of a Post Game

So far in his career, Blake Griffin has only displayed one go-to move in the post. He backs his man down, then quickly spins over his left shoulder and tries to bank the shot in.

While Griffin's athleticism allows him to get this shot off pretty well, opponents now know it is coming and are defending it better.

If Griffin can develop a consistent jump hook with either hand and also have a countermove like an up-and-under to go with it, he will make himself—and thereby his team—that much harder to guard.

Con No. 4: Not a Great Individual Defender

Blake Griffin's lack of height and relatively short arms limit his ability to lock opponents down defensively, especially those who hold a size advantage against him.

While Griffin was all right at defending opposing power forwards, holding them to a 13.7 PER, opposing centers got the better of Blake, posting an above-league-average 16.2 PER against him.

Con No. 5: Doesn't Block Shots

It's strange and slightly frustrating that despite his overwhelming athleticism, Blake Griffin makes almost no impact as a shot-blocker and rim protector.

Griffin hasn't averaged even one block per game in either of his two pro seasons. Players with similar size and leaping ability—like Serge Ibaka—excel at swatting away shots around the rim.

Maybe he lacks proper timing, but if Griffin can gain the reputation of a shot-blocker, it would go a long way toward deterring potential shots at the rim by opponents.

Pro No. 1: Hustle, Effort and Energy

If there's one thing you can count on from Blake Griffin, it's his effort.

Griffin brings it every night, playing with relentless energy and aggression on both ends of the floor. He is one the few big men in the NBA willing to be the first guy to dive after a loose ball.

In a league where so many players mail it in several times a year, it's refreshing to see someone like Griffin giving it his all on every play.

Pro No. 2: Scoring Ability

Despite his offensive game being criticized all the time, Blake Griffin still finished as one of the top 10 scorers in the league this season.

Even as a rookie, Griffin showed off his knack for scoring, dropping in over 22 points a game in his first campaign.

This year, Griffin's scoring output dropped slightly, but he made up for it in efficiency, posting the seventh-best field-goal percentage in the NBA at nearly 55 percent. In his second season, Griffin increased his field-goal, effective field-goal and true shooting percentages.

Griffin even improved his jump shot, hitting 37 percent of his long twos (16-23 feet). That number is up from 33 percent his rookie season.

Pro No. 3: Rebounding Ability

Blake Griffin was one of only two players—Kevin Love being the other—in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding this season.

It's rare to see 20-point,10-rebound guys anymore in the NBA, but Griffin was one of the three to do it this year. He has also finished in the top five in double-doubles in each of his two seasons.

While his rebounding numbers fell off a little in year two, that is probably mostly due to the fact that he played two fewer minutes per game in 2012. And Griffin did still manage to increase his offensive rebound percentage this year.

Pro No. 4: Athleticism

Blake Griffin is the star of Lob City. He led the league in alley-oop slams this season and is always a threat to do this to somebody.

Many of his detractors criticize him for not being able to score except for dunks, but that's not quite accurate. Griffin just takes advantage of his athletic prowess whenever he gets a chance.

And why wouldn't he?

Dunks are the highest percentage shots in basketball, so if you can do it frequently, then you'd be a fool not to.

Pro No. 5: Passing Ability

Blake Griffin does not get his due as a savvy passer. While his passes may not be as pretty as those thrown by the Gasols of the world, they're still pretty darn effective.

Blake has been in the top three in assists per game among big men in each of the past two seasons. He even posted a pair of triple-doubles as a rookie.

Whether it's finding open three-point shooters out of double-teams or setting up a lob to fellow big man DeAndre Jordan, Griffin has excellent court vision for a power forward.