Detroit Pistons: 3 takeaways after the first 20 games

3. Blake Griffin just needed to be healthy

In his career, Griffin’s biggest enemy has always been his ability to stay healthy. When he was healthy and current Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul was injured, he finished third in MVP voting.

This season, at full health, he’s showing that’s all that he’s ever needed. Through 20 games, he’s averaging 24.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He is the straw that stirs this team’s drink, and he is stirring very well right now.

Though Griffin has cooled off since a hot start to the season from 3-point range, he’s still shooting a very respectable 36.1 percent on 6.1 attempts per game, which ranks second on the team behind only Jackson. Coming into the season, that was viewed as a major weak point for him, as he had never shot above 34.5 percent for an entire season. He’s looked confident rising up from deep in many situations, especially late in games.

Moving forward, it’s going to be tough for him to pass some of the other guys above him in the MVP race due to the other cases we are seeing right now. He and Casey have been a match made in heaven this season. If he is able to remain healthy moving forward, this team will continue to perform above preseason expectations.