More on Blake Griffin
In today’s editions of The Oklahoman I wrote about Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. In a Q&A with The Oklahoman, Griffin also talked about why he doesn’t worry about the possibility of playing for the Thunder, what areas of his game he’s trying to work on and how he’s handled being in the national spotlight.
DM: How much do you think returning to school for your sophomore year has helped you develop your game?
BG: I think it’s helped a lot, not only getting a chance to work on my skills but just a year of maturity and being able to understand the game a little bit better. I think it’s helped me more than anything.
DM: What kind of developments are you seeing in your game?
BG: Just understanding more. Just knowing when to kind of pick my spots and when to be really aggressive and when to kind of back off and play a little bit differently. And being able to play different styles.
DM: How much do you think about the possibility of playing for the Thunder?
BG: I try not to think about just because I don’t think it’ll be fair to my team and our coaching staff if I was worried about that or thinking about that. If it happens it happens if it doesn’t it doesn’t. Hopefully I’m still going to play and I’ll still play as hard as I can. That would be great, but I’m not stressed over it and I’m not going to beat myself up over it.
DM: What more would you like to add to your game before taking it to the next level?
BG: Just keep developing everything and really working on my shot more. I put in a lot of time and I think that’s something that will really help me expand my game even more.
DM: Coaches and teammates describe you as very gracious and respectful. Where did you get that part of your personality?
BG: That’s just how my parents raised me. That’s what kind of man my dad is. He’s always taught me to be respectful and be gracious no matter what. Hopefully that’s rubbed off on me.
DM: Is your production a product of hard work or does it just come natural to you?
BG: I think it’s product of hard work. I really worked hard over the summer along with the rest of our guys to kind of make this season a little bit better. But I think it’s also a credit to my teammates. They do such a good job of finding me in easy spots and getting out and hitting me in transition. It makes it easier on me.
DM: What position do you see yourself at next year? Where do you think you’ll be most comfortable?
BG: Probably (power forward). Once I first get there and hopefully as I continue to work and really work on my shot I can be a little more versatile. Hopefully maybe move to small forward or something like that.
DM: How have you handled being in the spotlight?
BG: Just staying calm and not letting it bother you. And our coaching staff and my teammates have done a great job of making it easier on me so I don’t have to deal with it alone. It would be a lot more difficult if I had to do it alone. But with them with me I know they always have my back and I know I can always lean on somebody.
-DM-
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