The veteran is on pace to set a career high by averaging 5.4 assists per game, which would eclipse his previous best of 5.3 set in 2014-15. He is the team’s second-best playmaking behind poin…
Blake Griffin the passer doesn’t get nearly the love that Blake Griffin the dunker or Blake Griffin the 3-point shooter or Blake Griffin the rebounder does. There’s more to Griffin’s game than brute strength or offensive muscle this season, though.
After all, he is the Clippers’ second-leading playmaker, averaging a career-best 5.4 assists going into Friday’s game against the Grizzlies in Memphis. Only point guard Milos Teodosic, whose job it is to ensure the ball ends up in the right hands, is averaging more at 5.5 assists.
Griffin’s previous career-best was in 2014-15, when he averaged 5.3 assists.
The Clippers changed their style of play after trading future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets during the offseason. The ball was in Paul’s hands in all situations, especially when the Clippers ran a pick-and-roll dominated offense.
Paul took the big shots and he made the key passes.
Griffin was given an added responsibility this season, with the Clippers shifting to a motion offense in which the ball could end up in anybody’s hands, and that was part of the plan. He could even dribble the ball up court now and again, the power forward giving the guards a ball-handling break.
“He’s always done it, but obviously when you lose a Chris Paul you put the ball in his hands more,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Griffin the playmaker. “You put the ball in everyone’s hands more. Our ball movement has been better and Blake has been a better passer.
“When I first took this job, the first thing someone told me was, ‘You’re going to be shocked by Blake’s passing.’ The statement shocked me because you didn’t see it as much. And they were right. I mean, he has the ability to see the floor. The ability was always in him.”
The departure of Paul hasn’t exactly destroyed the Clippers’ ability to set each other up for baskets. They are averaging 21.8 assists through the season’s first 47 games, not far off last season’s average of 22.5 with Paul directing their play.
Teodosic, a 30-year-old rookie from Serbia, has stepped into the void.
Overall, the Clippers are only 23-24, but are 13-7 with Teodosic in their lineup. He injured the plantar fascia in his left foot in the first half of the second game of the season, Oct. 21, and sat out 22 games. He missed two games for rest and three others after aggravating the injury.
“He’s a savant basketball-wise,” Rivers said of Teodosic. “He’s a great passer. He has a great feel. It’s still his first year in the NBA. Defensively, it’s tough for him. He’s never played against athletes with this speed, so we’re trying to put him on the right guys.
“He’s also never played more than 30 minutes a night, so you have to be careful with that. He’s just a great guy to have on your team. He’s just got a great spirit. He’s one of those guys you like being around, to be honest.… He is important for our ball movement. It’s infectious.
“There are guys who are like that. They just pass so much everyone wants to join in.”
The Clippers face the Grizzlies on Friday in Memphis and the Pelicans on Sunday in New Orleans before returning Tuesday to Staples Center to play host to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Clippers then play seven of their next 10 games on the road.
