Does Blake Griffin joining the Nets mean Brooklyn can reach even higher heights?
A former superstar joined an all-superstar trio on All-Star Weekend.
After being bought out by the Detroit Pistons on March 5, six-time All-Star Blake Griffin officially signed with the Brooklyn Nets on Monday – even though it was announced Sunday – adding another huge name to the Eastern Conference juggernaut.
Just how much extra firepower will Griffin bring to BK?
In his career, Griffin has averaged 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 49.5% from the field and 33.1% from 3.
But few would deny that Griffin's best days are behind him.
During his prime years with the LA Clippers, Griffin was arguably the game's best power forward and certainly one of its most exciting players, with a highlight reel of dunks that will be shown on repeat for decades to come.
The Clippers shocked the NBA world by trading Griffin to Detroit in the middle of the 2017-18 season, and BG responded by having one of the best seasons of his career in 2018-19.
That year, Griffin averaged a career-high 24.5 points and connected on a career-best 2.5 3-pointers per game, earning his sixth trip to the All-Star Game.
He also played in 75 games, marking the first time he had played more than 70 games since the 2013-14 season, when he appeared in 80 for the Clippers.
However, since that first full year with the Pistons, things have gone downhill for Griffin.
In 2019-20, he played in just 18 games because of a left knee injury. He averaged then-career lows in points (15.5), rebounds (4.7) and field-goal percentage (35.2%).
This season, Griffin has played in 20 of the Pistons' 36 games, putting up 12.3 points per game while shooting 36.5% from the field.
Now, it seems the 31-year-old – who will turn 32 on March 16 – will have the opportunity for a potential career rebirth and a run at a championship, considering that FOX Bet has the Nets tied with the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorites to win this year's NBA Finals (+250).
How much can Griffin actually bring to the table in The Big Apple?
Skip Bayless said on Monday's "Undisputed" that Griffin will help a little but not a lot.
"He knows how to play basketball. He's a nice fit."
Griffin's transition to Brooklyn will indeed mean a transition in his career.
According to reports, for the first time since he entered the NBA as the first pick in 2009, Griffin will not be a starter.
In the 642 NBA games he has played, he has never come off the bench. He has averaged fewer than 30 minutes per game in only one season in his career, 2019-20, when he played 18 games because of injury.
As far as his game goes, Griffin has already transitioned.
Consider this: In his first full season in 2010-11, Griffin went 7-for-24 from 3-point range in 82 games. In 2018-19, the last time he played at least 70 games (75), Griffin connected on 189 of 522 3-point attempts.
In 2010-11, Griffin made 689 of his 1,352 2-point attempts. In 2018-19, he connected on 430 of 819 2-point attempts.
On Monday, FOX Sports' Chris Broussard said on "First Things First" that Griffin made a great call by joining Brooklyn simply because the responsibility to be a superstar – or even a star – is nonexistent.
"If he had gone to a Miami, a Portland, a team that expected him to come in and actually do something, it would have been a disappointment because he's not that guy anymore. But in Brooklyn – it would have been similar [with the Lakers] – your three stars are drawing so much attention, he is going to get so many open buckets that it's gonna be great for him."
Brooklyn wasn't the only squad in the running for Griffin's services. The defending champs were also there, according to reports.
Ultimately, Griffin decided to partner with the Nets and former Clippers teammate DeAndre Jordan, accepting the $5.9 million taxpayer mid-level exception that Brooklyn can offer while still being owed $29.8 million from the Pistons next season.
On Monday's "First Take," Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman disagreed on the magnitude of Griffin's addition to the Nets.
Smith lauded the move for Blake and Brooklyn, saying that an unstoppable offensive unit added size and firepower in Griffin.
"The DeAndre Jordans and the Blake Griffins of the world, they might actually get open shots. Literally, people might go like this: 'Go ahead and shoot because we ain't leaving these dudes alone. Go ahead and shoot.'"
Kellerman wasn't as congratulatory, saying that Griffin does nothing to help the Nets' shortcomings on the defensive end.
"The whole point of my 'adding a big body at the deadline' thing was on defense. [Griffin] is not a defender. He's not a rim-protector."
Nick Wright leaned toward Kellerman's point of view but took it a step further, saying that Griffin joining the Nets was a result of – you guessed it – LeBron James winning a title.
He pointed out the examples of the "Big 3" in Boston and Kevin Durant joining Golden State, as well as other examples.
If James' winning a title is indeed the reason Griffin joined the Nets, it has yet to be proven.
But there's a high probability that James and Griffin will come face-to-face this summer in the NBA Finals, if both the Lakers and Nets reach their full potential.
