5 Players Needing To Step Up In Blake Griffin's Absence
The Los Angeles Clippers have surprised a lot of people early this season and a lot of credit goes to the Big 3 of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. With Griffin out 3-6 weeks, guys will need to step up in his absence.
Dec 16, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; LA Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) takes a breather during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Clippers, 21-8, may have turned the corner that everyone has been expecting of them to start this season.
Currently second in the Pacific Division, “Lob City” has always been fun to watch but they always seems to underwhelm down the stretch of the season and into the playoffs.
This year seems to be a bit different so far.
The Clippers have always been one of the more entertaining teams to watch, but are finally producing and proving that they are a powerhouse in the Western Conference; a conference that has been run by the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs the last couple of seasons.
Now, keeping this pace up will be tough for the next three to six weeks, however, as the Clippers received news that forward Blake Griffin will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery on his right knee.
He is currently averaging 21.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Griffin’s presence on the offensive side of the ball will be missed, but the Clippers are no strangers to him being sidelined.
Griffin’s 2015-16 season was riddled with injuries. He suffered a torn quad on Christmas Day against the Los Angeles Lakers. Later on in the season, he broke his hand during an altercation with a team employee that only allowed him to play in 35 games all season.
During Griffin’s recovery, the Clippers need to find a way to fill a good-sized void if they want to continue to prove their worth atop the Western Conference powerhouses.
Here are five Clippers that will need to step up in his place:
October 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Brandon Bass (30) shoots a basket against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Brandon Bass
Coming off an eight-point outing against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, Brandon Bass will need to continue to produce for the Clippers coming off of the bench.
Bass is only averaging 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.2 blocks per game in extremely limited minutes so far. Quite a fall off from the average outing Griffin put up.
Bass has only averaged 10 or more points per game four times in his 12-year career, but has always been a solid backup in the right system.
Now he is being called upon to be a solid role player for the fourth-place Clippers during a tough stretch of games that includes the Spurs, Rockets, Thunder and Grizzlies. He will have to up his scoring to somewhere around eight to 10 points per game during Griffin’s absence.
These are big shoes to fill, no doubt, but if Bass can score a couple more points a game and snag some boards while on the court, the Clippers could see themselves sitting pretty when Griffin returns.
The passing ability and sheer athleticism is where the Clippers might miss him most.
Bass has only averaged 0.8 assists throughout his career and his athleticism can’t be compared to Griffin’s. The high-low offense that the Clippers have been so successful with Griffin and DeAndre Jordan will now see a slight fall off with Bass in the lineup.
Apr 27, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) guards Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce (34) in the first quarter of game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce was inserted into the starting lineup on Tuesday night against the Nuggets to fill part of Griffin’s void. Pierce, the veteran, has not seen a lot of minutes this year and hasn’t produced when he is in the game.
He is only averaging 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game this season, but has only played in seven games so far. His now-starting role will need to see an amped-up style of play in order to help the Clips out.
Pierce is nowhere near the player that he was in Boston, but his veteran mentality and big shot making ability will prove worthwhile in Griffin’s absence. “The Truth” has made big shot after big shot in his illustrious 19-year career.
The Clippers will need Pierce to try and recapture at least some of his past form. He won’t fill the Griffin void completely, as that’s almost impossible to do, but Pierce will be looked to for scoring, smart decisions and some possible big shots if the circumstances call for it.
Whether or not Pierce will continue to start at the power forward position is uncertain, but for the time being it looks like head coach Doc Rivers trusts the veteran in the starting lineup.
Oct 17, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard JJ Redick (4) dribbles up the court during the first half against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 104-78. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
J.J. Redick
J.J. Redick has been one of the most consistent players for the Clippers since joining the team in 2013. He is currently averaging 15.1 points per game and has averaged at least 15 points per game the last five seasons.
The 3-point specialist will see a heightened workload while Griffin is out. Redick will need to continue to run off screens from center DeAndre Jordan and knock down an extra three-pointer or two each game.
This seemed to work quite well against the Nuggets as he poured in 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
With Griffin’s absence, floor spacing could be a little harder to come by. His unique ability to stretch the floor at the power forward position has proven very successful for the Clippers. This allows wider driving lanes which results in drive-and-kicks.
Redick has been able to feed off screens and others’ penetration, so with Griffin sidelined, can Redick stay hot?
If anything, Redick will need to draw attention from others such as Pierce, Bass, Chris Paul and Austin Rivers. Shot making ability will prove key for the Clippers as they move forward for a month or so.
If Redick can continue to knock down shots, the Clippers will have a shot at staying among the top five in the West.
The Clippers went 30-15 without Griffin last season but they certainly don’t want to have to go without him for long. He is so valuable in the offense and putting pressure on players like Redick could be tough moving forward.
Dec 16, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) reacts during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Clippers won 102-98. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
DeAndre Jordan
DeAndre Jordan will have a significant role in the Clippers offense with Griffin being out. He will see a lot more attention on the block with his fellow “Lob City” brother out of the lineup.
Jordan is averaging 11.7 points and 13.0 rebounds per game through 29 games. The pick-and-roll is the Clippers bread and butter, but with Griffin being out, Jordan and point guard Chris Paul will need to find a groove on the offensive end.
Jordan should focus on the defensive end for the next three to six weeks instead of offense. His unbelievable athleticism can definitely be utilized with Griffin out and shot blocking ability should be at an all time high.
He has never been one to put up huge numbers on the offensive end and the Clippers probably won’t look to change that with Griffin out. Where they will look for help is defensively.
He has all the tools to be the best defensive player in the league and instead of taking him out of his comfort zone on the offensive end, why not just utilize him more on the defensive end and allow him to be the rim protector that he has proven to be.
This is, however, the first year in the past four seasons that he has not averaged two or more blocks per game. If he can get his defensive numbers up a little bit while Griffin is out, the Clippers have enough fire power on the offensive side of the ball to make up for the scoring void.
Dec 16, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; LA Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) dribbles the ball up court during the first half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Paul
Without a doubt the leader of the Clippers, Chris Paul will need to step up even more than he does on a nightly basis. Paul will have to up his scoring numbers while also keeping his high-powered offense involved for the next month or so.
Paul is currently averaging 17.5 points per game and a team high 9.5 assists and and a league leading 2.3 steals per game. He has always been a pass-first, score-second type point guard but can score in bunches when called upon.
Well, he’s going to be called upon. Someone has to pick up those 21 points per game Griffin is leaving behind in his absence.
Paul will need to take on a burden that he is more than equipped to handle while Griffin is out. He has never been one to shy away from a challenge having, arguably, the biggest heart in the entire association.
It will be interesting to see if Paul can keep the Clippers off to a good starting heading into the new calendar year. The Clippers will need to keep pace with the Warriors, Spurs and Rockets while Griffin is out and hope that he is only out for a maximum of six weeks.
More from Hoops Habit
This article originally appeared on 
