[DondiJohnParticipant]

 We all know his offensive prowess. But can he develop that defensive presence that can help him to become a better all around player? Im talking about blocking shots, intimidating shots close to the rim. 

In his last year in college, he averaged 1.1 stl and 1.2 blks per game. In the NBA, he has less .7 and .8 stl and blks respectively. I know NBA players are no pushovers but I hate to see a person with his athletic ability to not average a consistent 1.5 bpg. 

Some of the users here might say, he has fellow bigmen (Jordan and Martin) that can swats some shots from time to time. Im not saying that he shouldn’t do shot blocking because of the two but lets face it, Clippers have one of the worst defense in the Western Playoff teams

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

 defense is not only figures… especially bs and st…

defense is also about attitude, post D, def reb, help D, def awareness, ability to adjust towards the offense, understanding of zone D, and so much details….

Bkake griffin is a poor defensive player. He has to improve if he wants to become more effective and more successful. 

[kobyzParticipant]

he would never be a shot blocking presencem he has t rex arms and slow jump but he could be a very good one on one defender if he will put his mind to it.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

I hate to blame it on the coach, but look what Thibs has done with Carlos boozer and Kyle Korver, it’s about the system and Del Negro just doesn’t have a very strong defensive system. That and Blake doesn’t have the defensive instincts at this point.  

[benny15Participant]

even if he doesnt develop into a shot blocker, i wish he could work out and model his defense to his veteran teamate and like him, former first over-all pick, Kenyon Martin. Kenyon was strong physically, but displayed very good laterals and foot work on the defensive end of the floor. he was also very discipline and  didnt jump off the floor always to make block shots and as a result, did not fall for a lot of fakes. i hope Griffin adopts this from his teamate and understand that just because you can explode to block a shot doesnt mean you always have to. at the end of the day, all you want to do in defense is make the guy miss. challenging and forcing your opponent to a tough shot without getting off the ground allows you better position for the rebound.

[orangeshadow83Participant]

Until he got to the NBA he was able to coast defensively because of his athleticism but in the NBA his athleticm advantage is greatly diminsished. I just get the feeling he never put in the time or work to be a good defender but he is still young and has time to improve his defense.

Alot of the blame can be placed on the coach but when all is said and done its about how much he wants to become a good defender and the work he puts into it. With the natural talent and atheleticism he has it would be a shame if he never develops into an average defender at least.

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

 He does have a very bad coach. I expect his d will get better once Vinny is gone. 

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

He needs to pop in old tapes of Karl Malone, another player who was about his height with the same kind of length.

Malone wasn’t a shot blocker (though he was very good at picking up steals), yet he was a great on ball defender. He knew how to use his strength to push players out of position and he was also very smart. I can’t remember how many times I used to see him "pull the chair" on players. Plus, he always was where he was supposed to be.

Griffin can become this type of defender if he focuses on it.

[joecheck88Participant]

 I don’t really want Blake being a weak side shot blocker or taking charges. He is too important offensively to pick up those kinds of fouls. That being said he needs to be a better one on one defender in the post and on the perimeter. He doesn’t need to be a pushover. Also I wish he would set solid screens on offense more often then roll. It seems he tries to slip it every time he screens.

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

There are a ton of good defenders who dont block shots or get alot of steals

There are a ton of bad defenders who block alot of shots and get alot of steals

 

Griffin to this point doesnt seem real interested in playing Defense, which is understandable because he kinda skipped the whole "do the dirty work then be a star" charade and was a beast the first game of his career. He isnt very good on weakside rotations either.

Defense is alot about passion, but also alot about smarts. The old saying "its not about working hard,its about working smart" applies to defense alot in my opinion. Griffin doesnt really do either yet.

[JoeWolf1]

 Shot blocking is a mentality, some guys prefer holding their ground and drawing a little contact while others try to swat the shot.

Neither is better than the other if done right.  Kendrick Perkins is not a very good shot blocker, but an excellent defender.  Griffin is still an above average weak side shot blocker and since he normally has Jordan protecting his weakside it’s not at all a bad strategy to hold your ground, keep your man on the post, outside of the lane and let the weak side post guy come in and block the shot.

Griffin’s defense is a work in progress right now, but I don’t think he has to block a ton of shots to be a good defender.  Tyson Chandler is 7’1”, blocks 1.4 shots per game and won DPOTY

[mj23mj23besteverParticipant]

 great post hot karl was one of the best on ball defenders at pf ever and as you mentioned was always exactly where he needed too b on d

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