Blake Griffin ranked 10th in NBA by Sports Illustrated

LA Clippers power forward Blake Griffin has been ranked 10th in the NBA in the Sports Illustrated Top 100 players for 2016-17.

Last season was a rough one for Blake Griffin. He was sidelined on Christmas Day with a partially torn quadricep that took longer than estimated to recover during the regular season, and he added to the problem by breaking his hand in a fight with one of the LA Clippers‘ equipment managers. It damaged his reputation and he was quickly regarded as a trouble maker who can’t stay healthy. To round things off, he was only able to come back for a few games at the end of the regular season before suffering a season-ending injury to his quad again in his fourth postseason contest.

With all that in mind, Griffin’s talent and dynamic impact on the game seems to have been overlooked by many this summer. He’s been more heavily criticized and dragged into endless trade rumors. But Sports Illustrated haven’t forgotten what he can do, ranking him 10th overall in their NBA Top 100 players for 2016-17.

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After mentioning Griffin’s somewhat forgotten superstar status after such a tough 2015-16 season, highlighting his varied skill set and improved mid-range game, SI’s Ben Golliver concluded with the following to argue why Griffin is primed for such a big return:

"Although he’s yet to truly experiment with a three-point shot and he’s not a true rim-protector, he remains firmly in the “NBA’s best power forwards” conversation. The five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection returns to the court this fall fully rested, with a Clippers roster that didn’t sustain any truly debilitating off-season departures, and with a chip on his shoulder given how badly last season got away from him. A healthy, comfortable and motivated Griffin in a contract year? That’s still a truly frightening proposition."

Golliver also added an interesting stat to display Griffin’s versatility as a scorer and playmaker:

"[Blake Griffin] ranked second league-wide with 9.6 touches at the elbow per game. From this comfort zone, he’s a quadruple threat: shooter, playmaker, screen-setter and lob-tosser."

So you know who filled out the top 10 ahead of Griffin, here are the rankings:

9th: Paul George.

8th: Anthony Davis.

7th: James Harden.

6th: Kawhi Leonard.

5th: Russell Westbrook.

4th: Chris Paul (!)

3rd: Stephen Curry.

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2nd: Kevin Durant.

1st: LeBron James (what a surprise).

I won’t dive into my full thoughts on their rankings now and analysis as to why certain players should land where. That’ll keep me here all day and I don’t want to start rambling.

However, motivated in a contract year, coming back on full health, and returning after displaying some of the very best basketball of his career at the start of last season to a Clippers team that’s maintained some roster continuity for the first time in recent years, Blake Griffin ranking 10th for 2017 is fair when considering what’s in store for him.

Also, still ranking behind the two-way stardom and shot blocking of fellow power forward Anthony Davis is expected and justified.

As for Chris Paul’s spot at 4th, it’s hard to disagree with the excellent two-way play he’s maintained, especially after leading the Clippers for so many games without Griffin last season.

Next: NBA Player Rankings: Top 10 small forwards for 2016-17

Do you agree with SI’s top 10? You can check out the full piece for the rest of their Top 100.

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