Entering his 11th NBA season, Blake Griffin is not just one of the NBA’s most recognizable names — he is also one of the league’s longest-tenured players. The Pistons forward opened up about his future both on and off the court in a recent interview with The New York Times’ Sopan Deb.
Griffin evolved from a human highlight reel as a younger player to a multi-faceted scoring weapon with a consistent three-point shot. However, despite his strong play, no team that Griffin has been part of has reached an NBA conference final. As a veteran on a young, rebuilding team, Griffin may not be in great position to change that, but he’s staying positive, as he tells Deb.
Check out some of the highlights below:
Griffin on the Pistons’ young group of rookies:
“I’ve also just really enjoyed it, especially this group of rookies that we have now. They’re great players, but great kids. They want to learn. They come. They ask you questions.”
Griffin on his goal of a deep playoff run:
“The individual awards and these things are fine, and I’m appreciative of them, but I just want to win. Not making it to a conference final, yeah, it does gnaw at me. Not to the point where I’m losing sleep over it. But that’s the main goal — I want to win.”
Griffin on the possibility of reaching free agency after the current season (he has a player option for 2021/22):
“It’s not a decision that I have to make in the immediate future. And I know, I’m sorry, I’m just kind of running around that question, but it’s just true. Things can change.”