This doesn’t have to be the end for Blake Griffin as an impact player

It has been painful to watch Blake Griffin step foot on a basketball court during the 2020-21 season.

This feeling isn’t wholly attributed to meager numbers of 12.3 points (career-low) and 5.3 rebounds per game (second-lowest of his career). After all, he’s only taking 11.1 shots a night with a sub-20 usage rate (both career-lows).

We’ve accepted that Griffin’s sky-walking days are behind him. But even while accumulated injuries have pushed him out to the perimeter more and more in recent years, there was a line between perimeter and interior play he walked fairly well en route to an All-Star appearance in 2019. Only now, he’s seemingly tipped too much in one direction, and not the one you’d hope.

Blake Griffin’s stock may currently be on the downfall, but there are steps he can follow that will still offer him the chance to make a significant impact.

More than 55 percent of Griffin’s shots have come beyond the arc this season, by far the highest rate of his career. Conversely, he’s never gotten to the free-throw line at a lower rate.

The injury-riddled 2019-20 campaign in which he appeared in just 18 games produced the highest distance of an average Griffin field goal attempt at 13.8 feet. That number has ballooned to 17.3 feet through 20 games this season. Many have unfortunately pointed out that the former dunk champion hasn’t even thrown one down since 2019 mainly because he’s rarely in a position to even try.

The deterioration has reached a point where the Detroit Pistons, fully embracing a youth movement, appear ready to move on from the former All-Star.

As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the two sides “agreed that he will be out of the lineup until the franchise and his representatives work through a resolution on his playing future, Pistons general manager Troy Weaver told ESPN.”

“The Pistons will continue to pursue trade scenarios involving Griffin, and talks on a contract buyout with his agent, Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports, could eventually come into focus,” Woj further wrote.

It’s unlikely another team relinquishes any type of asset to take on the remaining $36.5 million Griffin is owed this season and the $38.9 million he’s a near-lock to opt into for next season. That puts him on track to hit the buyout market, free to sign with any team that will give him a contract.

A once perennial All-Star who finished as high as third in MVP voting still only 31 years old, fielding minimum contract offers would be the latest in a string of lows Griffin has had to endure since the glory days of Lob City.

But this next chapter, whenever it commences, doesn’t have to signal the end of his relevancy in the NBA. Griffin can still impact a 48-minute game. There’s a realistic possibility for him to do so on a playoff or even championship-contending team.

For all the ways Griffin’s playstyle has changed for the worst, he remains one of the best passing big men in the NBA, averaging 3.9 assists per game this season and 4.4 a night in more than a decade on the job.

In a sense, he entered the NBA too early, before it was fully comfortable having big men serve as offensive hubs. Now, Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis and Bam Adebayo can be found picking apart defenses with their dishes from the high post and Griffin has been put in a position to do the same since coming over to Detroit.

He can facilitate off the dribble, punish teams that leave him in a 4-on-3 situation off a short role and make plays from there or run dribble handoff sets that have become more and more prevalent within NBA offenses.

Griffin can no longer power an offense by himself. Attrition issues realistically might keep him from ever averaging more than 30 minutes a game and turn him into a role player for however long he has left.

Even though he still has plenty left to offer in smaller doses, Detroit couldn’t accept the reality of where Griffin’s career has taken him while paying him north of $30 million a year. Herein lies the beauty of his next stop.

A player is asked only as much as they’re being paid. Fortunately for Griffin, that is why he’ll never again be paid to be the star he once was. And in a sport where expectations are the lens through which verdicts are made, that smaller paycheck and all that comes with it should do wonders for both player and team.

Health concerns might’ve been a more prominent issue when Griffin was trying to lead the Pistons in a high-responsibility role. Fewer minutes with a new team means less wear and tear, affording greater chances to provide what he does best.

Even if injuries were to rear their head, their impact would not be as severe. No team is going to rely on Griffin too much. He won’t be relied upon for 20+ points a night. He probably won’t even be a starter.

Whichever team signs Griffin will be playing with house money. Former All-Stars with game still left to contribute aren’t always floating around the buyout market. The risk of some DNPs is well worth the potential reward of having a multi-dimensional point forward coming off your bench when you’re talking about a price tag that won’t even touch eight-figures.

Nicolas Batum spent most of his five seasons with the Charlotte Hornets ridiculed for being unproductive and overpaid before being bought out this past summer. He’s now an invaluable member of one of the best teams in the NBA.

Batum remains a similar player from last season to this one but what’s asked of him has changed dramatically.

Inking him to a $120 million deal in the summer of 2016, Charlotte originally envisioned him as a piece to pair alongside Kemba Walker in pursuit of the playoffs. They wanted him to be a leading man and paid him to play like one.

The LA Clippers were just trying to fill a roster spot with someone who could offer spot minutes for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Not even they expected Batum to carve out a spot in the starting lineup but saw him thrive playing off teammates instead of trying to lead them. At just $2.5 million this season, LA wouldn’t have cared if he never saw the court all season.

There’s a similar role awaiting Griffin somewhere within the NBA landscape. With a clean slate likely on its way, it’s where his redemption arc will begin.