#3: Blake Griffin is Still Good at Basketball

This should go without saying, but the narrative from a lot of people around the league is that Blake Griffin has dropped off. While his athleticism has definitely declined and he is no longer the athletic freak he was coming out of the Oklahoma Sooners, he is still a very good player who commands a lot of attention.

He finished the game with a line of 26 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, while hitting the only three-pointer that he shot. The Nets had no answer for him in the post as he imposed his will on whoever tried to defend him and finished the game with 11 free throw attempts. There were times when the Nets would send 3 players at Griffin in the post and he was able to dump the ball off to a player under the basket like Andre Drummond, or kick it out for an open shot.

The extra attention that Griffin drew also allowed for a few uncontested offensive rebounds by both Andre Drummond and Zaza Pachulia. The Pistons haven’t had a player that can draw fouls and command the attention that Blake Griffin has since the Chauncey Billups days.

Blake Griffin was a calming presence for the Pistons on offense who was able to command the offense and get what he wanted when the offense started to bog down a bit. He also opened up a lot of opportunities for other players like Andre Drummond, who was able to get some easy finishes around the basket and ended the game with 24 points and 20 rebounds.

Blake Griffin may not still be the high-flying player he was five years ago, but he is still one of the better players in the league and has transformed his game into something that will age much better. His performance on opening night was a perfect example of that.