Miami Heat: Is Blake Griffin The Answer At Power Forward?

The Miami Heat will have a few options this offseason, but should Blake Griffin be a strong one?

Over the years, Griffin is no stranger to sharing the court with traditional-style centers. He’s played alongside DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond, with neither pairing resulting as bad fits.

But seriously, who could forget that imposing tandem in Los Angeles, where Griffin and Jordan were a game-by-game highlight machine? Together, they gave opposing teams nightmares, as it seemed nearly impossible for defenses to keep them away from the basket.

Given Blake’s high usage-rate (27.6 in seven seasons with LAC) and passing-abilities, Jordan was the recipient of several lob connections from Griffin during their tenure. It even worked well in Detroit, albeit with Drummond being a slower and less of an above-the-rim player than Jordan, they remained as one of the best four-five combinations in the league.

In the 2018-19 season, both Griffin and Drummond held a Net Rating of +4.7 on the floor together (Per 100 Possessions), in 1,980 minutes played together.

As Adebayo continues to evolve his overall game, most notably as a shooter, it makes a pairing with Griffin that more interesting. Their offensive skillsets could compliment each other well and they each have the physical profiles to rotate and defend larger players defensively.

While Blake isn’t an elite perimeter defender nor rim-protector, starting at four in Miami would put him into a similar defensive-role to the one that Jae Crowder filled last season and that’s primarily defending in drop-coverage.

The addition of Griffin isn’t going to completely move the needle for the Heat, but it unlocks a new level of versatility that we haven’t seen since they dealt Kelly Olynyk to Houston. While Olynyk, who also enters this summer as a UFA, is a bit younger and a better perimeter shooter, Griffin will be a much-cheaper option and holds more experience between the two.

Moreover, teams are going to offer Olynyk a contract of larger-scale than what the Heat would likely want to place their bid for. For a career of several highlights and endorsements, Griffin has made his rounds as one of the league’s most marketable players but now, winning has become a clear priority for him.

However Miami chooses their approach going forward, using their remaining mid-level exception on a quality third or fourth option, such as Griffin, would keep them at a competitive state. Coming off his last major NBA contract at 32 years old, he isn’t sought out to be a long-term piece for any organization but he’d still be an instant contributor with several ways to impact the game.

Hopefully, it’s in a Heat uniform come October.