Blake Griffin elevates Clippers puts rest of NBA o

The 2016-17 season was the first time Blake Griffin started to experiment with 3-pointers. He more than tripled his previous career-high with 1.9 3-point attempts per game, and he converted those opportunities at a decent rate of 33.6 percent. And yet, neither of those marks put him in the upper echelon of shooters at his position. made more 3-pointers than him on the season and made them at a higher clip.Griffin wasnt bad when it came to knocking down catch-and-shoot attempts from the perimeter he was on the same page as Devin Booker, Trevor Ariza, Iman Shumpert and Nikola Jokic in terms of succe s rate, but his efficiency suffered because he struggled with pull-ups. He made of those looks on 0.3 attempts per game.MORE: The good news Phil Hughes Jersey for the Clippers is Griffin already looks like a completely different player this season. He has attempted 183-pointers in his first threegames, making eightof those opportunities. His seven3-point attempts against the Jazz on Tuesday night tied his career-high in the Clippers' 102-84 win.While the list of power forwards who have attempted a greater number of 3-pointers than Griffin thus far is , most of them have appeared in one more game than him. Furthermore, only have made more 3-pointers than Griffin in the first week of the NBA season. He is Addison Reed Jersey currently behind Serge Ibaka, Aaron Gordon and Lauri Markkanenin 3-pointers made per game at his position.Whats even more encouraging for Griffins development is how comfortable he seems to be taking 3-pointers in volume. 11 of Griffins 3-point attempts this season have been of the catch-and-shoot variety compared to sixcoming from pull-ups. (One of his attempts was a full-court heave at the end of a quarter). That works out to be 3.6catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts per game and 2.0pull-up 3-point attempts per game, both of which are comparable to last season.Although Griffin is highly unlikely to maintain those levels for the entire season, its clear hes focused on making 3-pointers a bigger part of his game. The eye test backs it up. Just compare this 3-point attempt from the Clippers season opener against the Lakers... to one of the 20 pull-ups Griffin attempted in 2016-17:Now compare this catch-and-shoot 3-pointer... to this one from the 2014-15 season:Two things should stand out. The first is that Griffin doesnt hesitate on either of his 3-point attempts from this season. Its clearly Justin Morneau Jersey a shot hes grown comfortable taking, and one hes confident he can make.The second is that the hitch in his form that used to plague him is long gone. Griffin has been a deadly midrange shooter since the 2013-14 season, but he has struggled to extend his range to the perimeter. If he can substitute some of the long 2-pointers he relied on to generate of his shot attempts two seasons ago with 3-pointers something he began to do last season Griffin will become a much more efficient scorer.MORE: It will have a tremendous impact on how the Clippers function offensively as well. Whereas Chris Paul is one of the best point guards in the league at creating his own shot in the half court, Patrick Beverley and Milos Teodosic are better in complementary roles(Beverley as a spot-up shooter and secondary playmaker, Teodosic as a facilitator).The Clippers therefore have a much greater need for spacing when they share the floor with Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. If Griffin isnt able to step out to the perimeter, it will make it easier for teams to defend pick-and-rolls involving Jordan as the roller or Griffin as the midrange popper.For example, Brian Dozier Jersey notice how Teodosic isnt in a position to score on this po se sion. Brook Lopez drops back because Jordan isnt a shooting threat outside of the paint, and Larry Nance Jr. helps offGriffin to prevent Teodosic from taking Lopez off the dribble with his left hand.In the past, Griffin wouldve likely taken a step or two inside the perimeter. Doing so makes it slightly easier for his defender to help offhim and recover well enough to contest his shot.Now that hes comfortable taking 3-pointers, it gives his defender significantly more ground to cover. If Griffins defender stops helping to prevent him from getting open 3-pointers, then the likes of Beverley and Teodosic will have opportunities to snake the pick-and-roll, create a switch and put Jordan in position where he can cut to the basket or attack the offensive gla s.The rest of Griffins game will also benefit from him shooting more 3-pointers. Harder closeouts Minnesota Twins Jersey bydefenders when they help offhim means theyre more likely to fall for his fakes. Hes generally too strong for small forwards and too quick for power forwards and centers, making him a matchup nightmare against almost every team in the league.Griffin wont make more than 50percent of his 3-point attempts this season, and he might not even finish the season at the same level asLove, Gasol, Ibaka and Nowitzki in 3-point makes, but his progre sion into a threat from the perimeter will only help the Clippers make up for the lo s of Paul.Plus, if Griffin's 3-point shot is actually for real, it'll mean he's mastered everything you could ever ask for offensively from a modern day power forward. Throwa better-than-expected season from the Clippers into the equation, and Griffin could find himself in the MVP conversation once again.