Blake Griffin's Ultimate Training Camp Checklist for 2013-14 Season

When Blake Griffin became a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, fans were immediately intrigued by one of the most exciting players in the NBA. His motor was incredibly high from Day 1 and his athleticism was unmatched by most around The Association.

The question for Griffin has become: When will we see his talents fully surface?

The early part of his career saw small improvements that gave fans hope, but as the 2013-14 season approaches, we still have to wonder if Griffin will ever be known for his production ahead of his highlights.

The good news for Griffin? There’s still time.

Entering his fourth season in L.A., there’s no denying that he’s an integral piece of the puzzle. For the Clippers to truly contend, the big man must round out his game and he must show progress beginning in training camp.

At just 24 years old, Griffin has incredibly high potential. Reaching his ceiling won't be easy, but a few key improvements will do wonders for his status as a full-fledged superstar.

*All advanced statistics are provided by Stats.NBA.com.

Expand Low-Post Game

When it comes to one-dimensional big men, we hear it all the time: (insert big man here) needs more moves in his arsenal.

Griffin is no exception to that stereotype, but the question is: Why do we care how many moves a player has in the post?

The truth is that Griffin has shown that he can put just about anybody on a poster. Kendrick Perkins and Timofey Mozgov won’t forget that anytime soon, and when it comes down to it, we remember those plays more than hook shots and fadeaway jumpers.

But while a power finish above the rim may be efficient, it’s also predictable.

As creative as Griffin can be through the air, we’ve yet to see that same creativity go into his low-post approach. He resorts to the spin move because of his quick step, but with a power finish being his only reliable option, defenses can easily scheme to stop him in his tracks.

Aside from adding moves to his game, Griffin must do a better job of starting closer to the rim. As strong as he is, he has a hard time at backing down opposing bigs from mid-range, as anybody would.

Part of this becomes new head coach Doc Rivers’ responsibility. In the past, Griffin has been put in the position where he needs to create from mid-range.

Now Rivers has a chance to alter that game plan, putting Griffin in a better position to utilize his strength and athleticism.

Improve Jump Shot

As much as it will benefit Griffin to catch the ball lower, sometimes the play just doesn’t call for that type of setup. Today’s NBA asks its big men to help spread the floor, and the only way to do that is to have a 4 or 5 with a reliable jumper.

At this point, Griffin is far from reliable. The only spot on the floor (in increments of five feet) where he shot better than 39.9 percent last season was within five feet of the rim.

The big man made 73.8 percent from the restricted area, but it drastically went downhill from there.

As evidenced by the shot chart above, Griffin simply doesn’t shoot well from outside the paint. It’s no secret that the key is where he’d prefer to live, but assuming DeAndre Jordan won’t become a mid-range juggernaut anytime soon, the two will clog the middle if Griffin can’t extend his range.

All that said, we want Griffin being smart in his approach. Why he attempted 28 from behind the arc in 2012-13 is beyond me, especially when you consider he took twice as many threes as LaMarcus Aldridge—a big man who is actually known for his distance game.

On jump shots, Griffin made just 26 percent of his attempts last season. The mid-range resulted in a 35.1 percent completion rate, and his turnaround jumper was just 16 percent effective.

Griffin is never going to make a career out of shooting the basketball, but when the day comes that he can no longer leap out of the gym, he’s going to need something to fall back on.

Continue Improvement From The Foul Line

An improved jumper will likely result in better foul shooting, but that's an area that can’t be ignored at this point in the process.

Many people will claim that Griffin is a liability late in games because of his defense. The problem is that his short wingspan is going to make that side of the floor problematic regardless of his timing and awareness.

Free throws, however, are a completely different story—one where he's not influenced by his anatomical limitations.

If Griffin is truly able to add to his low-post arsenal, he’ll be under the rim more often. Such a strategy will result in more opportunities at the line. If he can knock down the freebies with any semblance of consistency, he'll be that much more dangerous. 

During the 2012-13 season, we saw Griffin shoot a career-best 66 percent from the charity stripe. That’s an encouraging number compared to the 52 percent he shot the season before, but it still leaves room to grow.

As valuable to the franchise as Griffin already is, imagine if he could go to the rim full force at the end of games without the fear of ending up at the line. That’s a concept every team should drool over, and it is exactly what Griffin can offer if his shot improves.

Stay Aggressive

Fans in L.A. shouldn’t worry about this one, but it’s a crucial part of the power forward’s development.

Despite all of the people who say that Griffin needs to add variety to his low-post game—myself included—the last thing anybody wants to see is the big man lose his best assets. His athleticism is what makes him special and his aggression is what allows him to put it on display.

The truth is that Griffin is a very good player and is deserving of his accomplishments thus far. The problem is that we can see his potential, and he’s just not there yet.

But like we said to start off this evaluation, there’s still time.

While developing his game, Griffin can’t forget to play with emotion. If his approach becomes robotic, he loses the chance to make plays when things break down. He has a rare ability to finish above the rim, and nobody is asking him to forget that at this point in his career.

Griffin must find the best of both worlds, which will allow him to round out his game nicely. If he can do that, he’ll convince even his critics that he can be the best power forward in the NBA.