Detroit Pistons fans have wildly different opinions on Blake Griffin that were revealed in a recent poll about his candidacy for the Hall of Fame.
This is a tiny sample size of fans on Twitter, so take that into consideration, as social media is not known for its nuanced takes and the results were all over the map when it came to Griffin and the basketball Hall of Fame.
This has been a topic of debate recently, as Griffin will soon be eligible for the HoF, which takes into account a player’s entire basketball career. I asked Pistons fans if they thought Griffin was a no-brainer Hall of Famer, a guy who just misses the cut, a player who gets in, but barely or one that shouldn’t be in the discussion.
A whopping 65.9 percent of fans didn’t think Griffin should make the Hall of Fame, which was surprisingly high, especially since 24.7 percent of them said he was “Not even close.”
Of the small number polled, 21.8 percent said “Yes, but barely”, while only 12.4 percent said Griffin was a “No-brainer” Hall of Famer.
I fall into the final group, as I understand the arguments against Griffin, but think his resume should get him into the Hall of Fame.
Blake Griffin is a Hall of Famer
This sample doesn't represent all Pistons fans by any stretch of the imagination, and if you were to poll the entire fanbase, you might get wildly different results.
When you take into account Griffin’s entire career, which includes being the national college player of the year and a 5-time All-NBA player, his case is stronger than plenty of players who are already in the Hall.
Griffin doesn’t have the longevity numbers, as his career was hampered with injuries that were mostly due to the high-flying playstyle that made him one of the most electric players of his era.
Griffin’s career numbers don’t hold up to the greats, but the basketball Hall of Fame has never been about only celebrating the elite of the elite, but also the players who most impacted the game, and Griffin certainly impacted his era.
The Hall is there to tell a story, and Griffin was a part of it as one of the best players in the league for most of his peak. Longevity should be rewarded, but I don’t like penalizing otherwise great players just for being injured.
Griffin probably should have changed up his style and played more of his career as he did for the Pistons, as a playmaking forward who could also stretch the floor, as it may have kept him on it more often.
Griffin was one of the most exciting players of his era, a super fun player to watch who was among the elite of the NBA at his peak, and when I think back to that time in the league, he’s one of the players I remember.