Six-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin knowns he’ll find Detroit Pistons in a rebuilding process once he gets back on court after knee surgery that limited him to just 18 games in 2019/20. And it appears that he already accepted this new reality.
While the 31-year was sidelined, Pistons reshaped their organization by hiring a new general manager Troy Weaver while parting ways with several veteran players, including All-Star center Andre Drummond. In Thursday’s chat with reporters via Zoom, Griffin acknowledged that this was necessary in order to make the team competitive again.
“I look for our team to be competitive. I know from my conversations with Coach [Dwane Casey] and Troy and the front office, they want to put a competitive team on the floor,” said Griffin.
For his part, Griffin is ready to help the organization in any way possible, including even taking a different role.
“I’ve told them, I’m here to do whatever they ask of me,” he added. “Whether that’s sort of taking on a different role, taking on more of a role, whatever it might be.”
Since joining Pistons midway through the 2017/18 season in a blockbuster trade from LA Clippers, Blake Griffin immediately became the focal point of the team’s offense. And while Griffin responded by averaging career-high 24.5 points in 2018/19, injuries stopped him from leaving his mark with the organization.
Looking to start fresh, Pistons probably wouldn’t mind if they could move Griffin, but that remains such a huge challenge that it’s hard to even entertain the idea due to his huge contract. He is set to earn $36.6 million in 2020/21, while he has a player option for 2021/22 worth $38.9 million.
