Blake Griffin is leaving the Detroit Pistons but his legacy is one to be remembered.
There’s not many NBA cities less like Los Angeles, California than Detroit.
No one would’ve blamed Blake Griffin if he hit cruise control when he arrived in Detroit. Not only was he moving from the tropical vistas of California to the cold winters of Detroit but the move was happening mere months after being told he was going to retire a Clipper.
Leaving the Los Angeles Clippers meant leaving a perennial contender for a team that hadn’t seen meaningful success in nearly a decade. It meant replacing Chris Paul and Deandre Jordan with Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.
If any of that bothered Blake, it never showed. Quite the opposite, Blake embraced Detroit and embodied the blue collar mentality that has come to define the area.
Blake Griffin sacrificed his body over and over for the Detroit Pistons. Despite declining athleticism and a laundry list of injuries and surgeries over his career, you would never be able to say Blake played soft or shy.
As of today (2/19) Blake Griffin leads the league in charges per game at. .55. He’s the only player that averages over .48. He’s 2nd in the league in total charges, one behind Kyle Lowry, despite missing time.
As his athleticism abandoned him, Griffin still found the energy to dive for loose balls, take charges, set screens, and play the role the Pistons needed him to play.
But what will his legacy be in the history of Detroit sports?