Ohm YoungmisukESPN Staff WriterNov 29, 20212 Minute Read
NEW YORK -- Falling completely out of the Brooklyn Nets' rotation was not something Blake Griffin saw coming.
After starting 17 games this season, Griffin has sat the past two games after Steve Nash inserted LaMarcus Aldridge into the starting lineup.
"No, I mean listen, [Aldridge] has been playing unbelievable," Griffin said. "So, I totally get starting him, especially Joe [Harris] has been out, and I totally get that.
"Being completely out of it, though, I didn't necessarily see that coming. But that's not my decision. As players it's our job to do whatever coaches see best, so at this point that's what it is."
Griffin, a six-time All-Star, was averaging a career-low 5.5 points to go with 4.9 rebounds while shooting just 16.1% from behind the 3-point arc. The power forward is shooting a career-low 31.8% overall from the field. Last season with the Pistons and Nets, Griffin averaged 11 points, 4.9 rebounds, 42.3% shooting overall and 34.1% 3-point shooting.
"Well, I feel for him," Nash said. "That's not easy. You know it's tough when you go through a rough stretch of play and the world kind of caves in on you a little bit. I've been there and understand it. We have to give other guys an opportunity at this point, but Blake's had a great attitude. I really admire him for being positive through this and keeping himself ready so if his opportunity comes back, he can have an impact."
With Harris out for potentially four to eight weeks after he will undergo ankle surgery, the Nets need more shooting around Kevin Durant and James Harden. Aldridge has been one of the Nets' best players this season, averaging 13.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 58% shooting from the field in just 22.1 minutes per game.
Griffin said he has been in touch with some of his former teammates, including DeAndre Jordan, since Nash's decision. Jordan started the season as a starter before losing his spot in the starting five early last season.
"I have seen [and] have had great examples," Griffin said. "DeAndre last year, he is a guy that I talked to that reached out. A lot of the guys from last year reached out. He did a really great job with it. I told him that. That is how I am going to try to do it as well.
"Just be a professional and do exactly what you are supposed to do," Griffin added of what message his former teammates told him. "It may sound like not good advice, but in this situation, everybody always needs to hear the right thing."
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Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images Blake Griffin says he understands being benched in favor of LaMarcus Aldridge but did not expect to be jettisoned from the rotation entirely. “Being completely out of (the rotation) though? I didn’t necessarily see that coming,” Griffin said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “But that’s not my decision. As players it’s our job to do whatever coaches see best so at this point that’s what it is.” Griffin has not played in the Nets' last three games despite being fully healthy. Aldridge took his place in the starting lineup, while James Johnson and Paul Millsap have been getting minutes off the bench. Griffin was in the midst of a miserable start to his season, averaging a career-low 5.5 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 31.8 percent from the floor and 16.1 percent from three-point range. "Well, I feel for him," Nets coach Steve Nash told reporters. "That's not easy. You know it's tough when you go through a rough stretch of play and the world kind of caves in on you a little bit. I've been there and understand it. We have to give other guys an opportunity at this point, but Blake's had a great attitude. I really admire him for being positive through this and keeping himself ready so if his opportunity comes back, he can have an impact." Griffin signed a one-year, $2.6 million contract with the Nets this offseason after joining them midway through the 2020-21 campaign following a buyout from the Detroit Pistons. He provided stellar play for the Nets in a reduced role after signing last season but has not been able to find consistency with his jumper. Knee injuries have essentially robbed Griffin of the bounce that once made him a dunk contest champion.
The Pistons are still responsible for paying Griffin $29.8 million this season.
Maybe — just maybe — Steve Nash shouldn’t have taken Blake Griffin out of the rotation. After starting against Cleveland on Nov. 22, Griffin didn’t play in a game again until Dec. 8. He’s one of the few Brooklyn Nets players that isn’t in the health and safety protocols, so Nash has had to rely on him heavily over the past week.
In last Tuesday’s overtime win against Toronto, Griffin started and finished with 13 points (4-of-6 shooting), six assists, and five rebounds. Two days later in a win over Philadelphia, he scored 17 points (7-of-16 shooting) and pulled down nine rebounds.
Last Saturday against Orlando, Griffin and Patty Mills started alongside three rookies. The 32-year-old left the game early because of knee tightness, but not before scoring 17 points and adding seven rebounds and six assists.
Nash removing Griffin from the rotation altogether was mind-boggling, but now Brooklyn’s head coach is ironically having to depend on the 12-year veteran.
After being one of the Nets’ best players in the postseason last year, Griffin got off to a flat start this year. We wholeheartedly agree with Nash replacing him with LaMarcus Aldridge in the starting lineup, but as for taking him out of the rotation completely? Not at all.
Following last Saturday’s loss to the Magic, Nash commented on Griffin’s recent play:
“Yeah, Blake’s played great,” Nash said. “Like I said to him, we know there’s always something around the corner. Although he was out of the rotation for a little while, we knew something would happen and he’d get his opportunity again.”
It took seven players entering the health and safety protocols for Griffin’s minutes to increase, but as that number increased to 10 and Kevin Durant entered the protocol, Griffin’s role expanded even more.
Of course Nash is turning to Griffin now, but what would’ve happened if Brooklyn’s outbreak never took place? He likely would’ve remained on the bench playing for limited minutes.
Griffin had to find ways to stay in playing shape without knowing when he was going to stop foot on the court again. He was agitated about leaving Saturday’s game early, but he prided himself in being there to assist his team.
“But it would be more frustrating if I didn’t stay ready and I wasn’t there for my teammates, because when everybody’s there for each other. So that’s the mentality we’ve got to have all season.”
In last week’s three games, he averaged 15.7 points and seven rebounds. Nets fans got to see the same player that Griffin was in the playoffs last year.
We’re glad Griffin got a chance to prove himself again. Hopefully, even after Brooklyn returns its full lineup, Nash will continue to utilize Griffin to the best of his abilities. He’s once again going to be valuable to the Nets in the long run.
After a poor start to the 2021-22 NBA season, the Brooklyn Nets have announced that they are taking power forward; Blake Griffin is out of the rotation after sitting the past two games for LaMarcus Aldridge.
Griffin, who has started in 17 games so far in the 2021-22 Season, is averaging 5.5 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 31.6 percent from the field and 16.1 percent from the three-point line, his lowest averages throughout his career. His struggles have led the way for Aldridge to take his spot in the rotation while he puts up 13.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game in Griffins spot.
When asked about being taken out of the rotation by media members, Griffin said that he understood getting taken out of the starting lineup, but was surprised that he wasn’t playing at all.
“No, I mean listen, [LaMarcus Aldridge] has been playing unbelievable,” Griffin said via ESPN. “So, I totally get starting him, especially Joe [Harris] has been out, and I totally get that. Being completely out of it, though, I didn’t necessarily see that coming. But that’s not my decision. As players, it’s our job to do whatever coaches see best, so at this point, that’s what it is.”
The Brooklyn Nets picked up Griffin after getting waived by the Detroit Pistons. After joining the Nets, the six-time All-Star experienced a bit of a comeback with solid performances in the 2021 playoffs and showing that he still had a bit left in the tank.
The Nets (14-6) play the Knicks (11-9) on Tuesday