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23 - Blake Griffin

Oklahoma 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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9

Overall

105

2009
Mock:  1
Big Board: 1
Pos Rank - PF: 1

NBA Comparison: Karl Malone/Antonio McDyess

Strengths: Freak of nature, off the charts athletic specimen type ... The perfect storm of strength, athleticism and work ethic. It's rare to find elite level talent that also possesses the character and drive to outwork everyone ... Griffin has immense potential due to his superior athletic ability and his willingness to put the work in to improve ... A special talent and a special kid ... Never takes a play off. Knows only one speed and gives his all on every possession... A dominant rebounder who will be one of the top rebounders in the league for years to come ... An incredibly strong and athletic body. His strength at his age is incredible and he will surely get stronger as his body continues to fill out (between the ages of 20-24) ... Plays the game with amazing toughness, he's a wrecking ball who loves contact in the paint ... Runs the floor well. Excellent speed and agility in the open floor … His explosiveness puts him in rare company … Has the ability to face the basket and use the dribble to get to the rim ... Very comfortable handling the ball for a post player who can dribble the ball up the floor, in order to break the press and get through traffic ... An excellent passer who has good vision and spots double teams quickly finding the unguarded teammate for openshots ... Has great hands (big and soft) allowing him to palm the ball with ease and control the ball on dunks and rebounds ... His post skills are showing nice development with an effective drop step as well as a jump hook … His mid-range shot has shown excellent improvement between his freshman and sophomore seasons ... He has begun to perfect the Tim Duncan mid-range shot high off the glass ... Defensively he gives a high effort level and does a solid job of staying out of foul trouble (fouled out of 1 game as a sophomore) ... Has good length and size at 6-9 ½ to 6-10 with a good wingspan … He’s the type of dynamic athlete and talent that if he happened to only be 6-7 to 6-8 (with shoes on) as some people erroneously think, he could actually develop into a top level small forward at the NBA level … High character guy. Humble. Not interested in the superstar limelight or partying, he is extremely focused ...

Weaknesses: Still not a great shooter. Must become more comfortable shooting the ball by putting time in with practice/repetition ... He's improved to the point where his shot is good, but he still needs to put a lot of work in to become a great shooter and scorer (don't bet against him - Karl Malone came into the league as a 50% ft shooter and ended up a 75-80% shooter) ... Needs to improve from the free throw line (59%) ... Due to the fact that he plays such a physical game, he goes to the line a lot, so improving his FT % to 75% will be a huge boost ... Must continue to develop his offensive repertoire in the post. He has great strength and using that to his advantage in sealing his opponents will make him even more effective … His willingness to sacrifice his body (as witnessed when he flew over the scorers table the first game back after missing a week due to concussion) could lead to injuries if he doesn't use good judgment (there are times to put it all on the line and times to hold back to some degree with an 82 game season) ... Still needs work on the defensive end. With his tremendous explosiveness, he should be a better shot blocker (1.2 bpg). He just needs to learn better timing and anticipation ... Should look to become a more vocal leader ...

Notes: The consensus 2009 #1 pick. Griffin has the potential to be a top 10 player in the league some day ...

Aran Smith 4/15/09

Strengths: Griffin is very long and athletic; an excellent physique and build He excels at getting up and down the floor very quickly A ridiculous athlete and a monster on the boards and around the rim, currently just smashing on anyone that gets in his way Attacks the glass with reckless abandon Griffin has grown into his aggressiveness over the years as the team has relied on him more and more Can take long, driving steps to the basket but needs to be sure to keep the ball with him and not mishandle or leave it behind He has grown a good four or five inches since his freshman year, and is definitely adapting to his new size well Could create terrible matchup problems at the next level if he could expand his game out to the perimeter successfully, being able to drive by larger slower defenders or posting hard on smaller defenders Being the best player on the floor at any given time, he has learned to effectively pass out of double and triple teams A coach's son, Griffin definitely has the mental game and winning attitude it takes to become a great player. His high school team is seeking its fourth straight state championship this year and has lost only a couple games the past three seasons A fiery, emotional leader, the team undoubtedly goes as he goes He has an almost mindless killer instinct and intensity level, giving 110% every time he steps foot on the court Has incredibly intimidating size for an NBA small forward, but is probably going to be more comfortable playing in the post for the time being An excellent ball handler capable of facing the basket and getting by defenders

Weaknesses: Could stand to work on a little bit of body control, at the moment smaller defenders are afraid to step in front on the drive and take a charge Defenders at the next level will play smarter and be more willing to put their bodies on the line Griffin would benefit greatly from being able to step out occasionally and drain threes at a decent percentage On fast breaks, he will often hesitate each time down the court looking for the alley-oop rather than cutting straight to the goal for a layup Sometimes this leaves his teammates with the ball hanging when they are expecting him to go hard to the hole At the moment, he would rather make the flashy play and get the crowd into the game rather than taking a sure two points Griffin is extremely confident, which is not necessarily a weakness, but must keep his head in the game at all times Playing 2A basketball throughout high school, Griffin has not encountered much notable competition Conversely, his AAU team "Athlete's First" is one of the better teams in the country, so he faces more formidable defenders outside of school ball Brother and former teammate Taylor Griffin also successfully made the jump to Big 12 basketball after facing the same questions regarding his transition to division one

Grant Belcher - 10/23/2006

NBADraft.net Interview

YouTube Clip - 4/7/2009

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