#2 Blake Griffin
This might be controversial, but I have Blake Griffin as the second best player on the Detroit Pistons this year.
That isn’t so much a criticism of Griffin, but more so an endorsement of the next player on this list.
Griffin has been, and will continue to be, a great offensive player. He’s intelligent, aware, and has been improving his perimeter offense. Griffin is also a way better passer and play maker than he gets credit for, a skill I expect the Pistons to use in full this season.
On defense, Griffin won’t be turning many heads.
This summer, there was a big debate on the internet regarding who the better player was: Kevin Love or Griffin. I only bring this up to say that Griffin’s defense is similar to Love’s. He’s a smart player, so he won’t be out of position often. But he doesn’t have the physical ability to do much with that positioning.
Like Reggie Jackson, the biggest question mark surrounding Griffin will continue to be his health. He’s only played 80 games in a season three times as a player, and those were all in the first four years of his career. In the last four years, he played in just 58, 61, 35, and 67 games.
If Blake Griffin can stay healthy and continue improving his perimeter offense, this could be a resurgent, All-Star campaign for the power forward. He’s indicated that this is the best he’s felt in years, and he’s been able to work on his game this summer instead of simply rehabbing an injury.
But if he isn’t healthy, this will likely be a long, arduous season for the Pistons.