With and Without Chris Paul, Clippers Need Everything from Blake Griffin
LOS ANGELES — Doc Rivers knew he had something special on his hands.
Before he left Boston to coach the Los Angeles Clippers in June 2013, Rivers reconnected with Tony Brown, a former assistant of his with the Celtics. Brown had served on Mike Dunleavy's staff in L.A. in 2009-10 and was among the first people in the NBA to work closely with a freckle-faced phenom named Blake Griffin.
"Hey, he’s a great passer, not a good passer," Brown told Rivers. "And if you can figure out a way of using him, he’ll surprise you with his vision."
Nowadays, the sight of Griffin dribbling and dishing like a point guard comes as no shock. Last season, he became just the 11th player in NBA history to average five or more assists while standing 6'10" or taller.
Clippers fans don't bat an eye, either, when Griffin knocks down a mid-range jumper. Coming into Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers, he'd hit better than 40 percent of his shots from every distance, save for the short corners.
Griffin may not be the domineering bulldog that Chris Paul is, but as far as on-court skills are concerned, he's become as close a facsimile to the Clippers' All-Star guard as you'll find in a player his size. And with Paul sidelined by a rib injury, Griffin's best CP impersonation will come in handy to keep the Clippers afloat out West.
Griffin's had his moments of point forward glory in Paul's absence.
Unfortunately, his performance in a 103-91 loss to the Indiana Pacers wasn't one of them. Griffin wasn't exactly flowing as a forward in that dual role. He missed a slew of shots in the paint against the small-ball Pacers and didn't grab his first rebound until the fourth quarter was more than halfway over.
His guard game wasn't in top gear, either. He misfired on seven jumpers from inside the arc and another seven from the free-throw line. He kept the ball moving with a team-high six assists, but it didn't whip around as quickly or as crisply as it might've with Paul at the controls.
And on a night when DeAndre Jordan wasn't on the receiving end of a single field-goal finish—not even from Griffin, who dishes to him almost as much as Paul does—it was the Pacers who played the part of "Lob City" at Staples Center.
"[We have to get Jordan going] the same way that he scores when Chris is in there," Griffin said afterward.
Few in basketball history have ever gotten their teammates involved like Paul has. Only John Stockton (nine), Bob Cousy (eight), Oscar Robertson (seven), Steve Nash (five), Jason Kidd (five) and Magic Johnson (four) can claim at least as many assist titles as the four Paul has racked up.
The burden to fill Paul's smaller shoes isn't Griffin's to bear alone. The Clippers front office, led by Rivers, spent much of the offseason adding perimeter playmakers for just this occasion.
"My thought coming into the year, even if it wasn’t an injury, maybe rest him a couple games," Rivers explained. "That’s why I thought Lance [Stephenson] was important. That’s why I thought Pablo [Prigioni] was important as well, to add more guards, guys who can handle the ball for us."
Griffin has proved himself capable of assuming those duties before. When Paul sprained his ankle in the 2015 playoffs, Griffin filled in with a triple-double in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets. He followed that up with 34 points, 15 rebounds and four assists in Game 2.
"It’s amazing, it really is, what he did in the playoffs last year and in prior years," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "He’s not just a dump it down into the post and score lobs [type of player] like maybe his first, second year of his career."
Griffin's game has come a long way since then. He may not pile up 20-10 games like he did in his early days, but the scope of his impact has expanded considerably.
"His handle has gotten better and all that from his work, but he just has great instincts," said Rivers. "He has great feel. There’s few bigs that can do it, but he’s one of them."
On offense, he's got a bag of basket tricks he can use for his or his teammates' benefit. On defense, he has the quickness and footwork to keep up on the perimeter and, statistically speaking, was the stingiest stopper in the low post last season. On both ends, he can play just about every part.
"He’s 2, 3, 4," Rivers added. "Maybe 1, 2, 3, 4. Maybe a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I can’t go to 6, but I can go that far."
The Clippers, though, will need Griffin to go to 11 soon enough. After hosting the Orlando Magic on Saturday, L.A. will play 12 of 14 games away from Staples Center to close out 2015. The Western Conference may not be as cutthroat as it once was, but at 10-9, the Clippers are already creeping toward the wrong end of the playoff picture.
A subpar season, on the heels of a wild summer, could have far-reaching consequences for these Clippers. As Rivers told ESPN's Zach Lowe during training camp, a big shake-up may be in store for a squad whose core has yet to crack the conference finals.
"We’re right on the borderline," Rivers said. "I have no problem saying that. I’m a believer that teams can get stale. After a while, you don’t win. It just doesn’t work. We’re right at the edge. Oklahoma City is on the edge. Memphis, too. We just have to accept it."
If that happens, Griffin, a 26-year-old superstar in the midst of his prime, isn't likely to wind up on the chopping block. Neither is DeAndre Jordan, who's having his own issues living up to a fresh four-year, $88 million deal.
By simple process of elimination, that leaves Paul, a diminutive guard on the wrong side of 30, as the potential odd man out.
Not that Paul isn't still capable of his own brilliance. As Vice Sports' Robert O'Connell wrote: "No player is better than Paul at accomplishing his given task. Paul is less a tactician, at this point, than a simple ingredient; when he takes the court, the offense gets good shots."
Those same praises could apply to Griffin someday, perhaps sooner than anyone expects. There's plenty of work to be done before that happens.
As far as leadership is concerned, Griffin might already be ready for the gig. He's been more vocal in practice and in games than ever before, and went out of his way to put the loss to the Pacers on his own ledger.
"We have to be better in a lot of areas. I have to be better," Griffin said. "I think you can't really expect us to win a game when I play that poorly, shoot that badly [6-of-18 from the field, 2-of-8 from the free-throw line in the second half] and have that many turnovers [four]. So it is on me. I have to be better."
Given his track record, Griffin probably will be. And when he is, he won't catch Rivers or the Clippers off guard.
All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
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