Griffin will be trying to go distance
Blake Griffin rose up and took a three-point shot on the first play of the Clippers’ open scrimmage Saturday.
It missed, but he was undeterred.
The Clippers’ power forward took three more threepointers, finishing two for four from behind the line, showing that the three-pointer probably will be a part of his arsenal this season.
“Yeah, he can make them,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s just confidence.”
None of the players talked to the media after the starters defeated the reserves, 54-53. DeAndre Jordan made the second of two free throws with four seconds left before a near-packed house at the Bren Events Center at UC Irvine.
It was apparent from watching Griffin shoot threepointers without hesitation that he spent a lot of time over the summer working on the long-distance shot.
“When you’re injured, all you can do is shoot,” Rivers said. “So, that’s the one thing he’s done a lot. That’s what we wanted him to work on, and it looks good.”
The 2015-16 season was a difficult one for Griffin.
He missed 41 games because of a partially torn left quadriceps tendon and with a broken right hand from a fight with a former Clippers employee. He was suspended four games for the fight, then Griffin reinjured the quad in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, ending his season in late April.
So, yes, Griffin had plenty of time to work on his entire game once he became healthy again over the summer.
Over his first seven seasons with the Clippers, the 6-foot-10 forward shot 27.1% from three-point range. He made six of 18 last season, but Rivers believes that Griffin can shoot three-pointers from anywhere on the court.
“I don’t think it matters to him,” Rivers said. “I actually think he likes the break [wing] better than the corner, because that’s where he’s at. That’s where most big guys are at.”
Griffin also was a force inside during the scrimmage, spinning along the baseline and throwing down a dunk over rookie Brice Johnson.
“I think Brice will tell you that Blake can jump,” Rivers said, laughing.
Clippers break Rivers’ best camp
After four days, Rivers concluded that this was the best training camp since he first arrived in 2013.
Rivers said it was a “comfortable camp” and that his players picked up information “pretty quickly.”
“The learning curve was high,” Rivers said. “It was just a really good camp. From a coaching standpoint, they were very easy to coach. I hope I’m saying that later.”
All week long, Rivers said, Marreese Speights “has played the best” in practice, the free-agent acquisition showing off his three-point shooting, giving the Clippers another weapon off the bench.
Rivers also said that forward Wesley Johnson had an impressive camp.