Where does Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin rank among power forwards?

LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin

Aldridge and Griffin are, depending on how you look at it and who you root for, two of the more unappreciated superstars that the NBA has. They fly under the radar because  A.) they either play in Detroit, Michigan for an average NBA team or B.) they have the greatest coach of all time as their leader and routinely make the playoffs so whatever. (Writer’s Note: I totally understand that Aldridge is probably more widely recognized than I’m giving him credit, but also not many Spurs games on in the Midwest). That all being said, these two players still happen to get overlooked for how good they truly are, mostly because the media doesn’t mention them.

Griffin, as has been written about endlessly on this site because he is the greatest thing to happen since the Goin to Work days, has significantly changed his playstyle to work around his injury history.

Going from taking 0.3 three-point attempts per game to 7 three-point attempts per game. Moreover, 20 percent of his shot attempts in 2011-12 were dunks and he made 192. In 2018-19, three percent of his shot attempts were dunks and he made 37. In fact, his last four seasons worth of dunks don’t amount to 192 (187).

After spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, Aldridge looks to bring the San Antonio Spurs back to the NBA Finals in his fifth season. Unlike Griffin, Aldridge hasn’t had to change his playstyle at all. Actually, his game has aged like the finest of wines. Mid-range jumpers are his sweet spot as he doesn’t take more than 0.4 three-point shots a game.

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A five-time All-NBA member, most recently in 2018, Aldridge received the most All-NBA votes for forwards in 2019 that didn’t make the cut. Aldridge averaged 21.3 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game to go with a career-high 1.3 blocks per game. Aside from his rookie year and the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, Aldridge only misses around a dozen games a season, something that’s admirable for someone with that many miles on his body.

Griffin and Aldridge’s careers, in a way, are foils for one another. Griffin went from having a rambunctious tenure with Lob City to adjusting his game accordingly while Aldridge kept the same playstyle that has aged beautifully. Both have the individual accolades but are chasing the bigger picture.

Don’t be surprised to see either of these two forward to land on a couple more All-NBA lists before they hang up their uniforms.