LA Clippers: Blake Griffin’s stellar work ethic never tires

Blake Griffin has worked tirelessly since entering the NBA to evolve his game, and he talked about where that work ethic came from with LA Clippers teammate J.J. Redick.

Blake Griffin entered the NBA with the LA Clippers as an extraordinary athlete. He attempted 40.8 percent of his shots within two feet of the basket, with dunks alone accounting for 17.6 percent of his attempts. He was an athlete, a dunker. He had skill, but he was a world-class athlete first and foremost and a developing player.

Now, he’s one of the best players in the league, and one of the top few passing big men altogether. From his vastly improved mid-range game to his power-point play as a tremendous passer, 2016 Blake Griffin is far more evolved than 2011 Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin.

He has his work ethic to thank for that evolution.

Griffin made an appearance on J.J. Redick‘s podcast for The Vertical last week to talk about a variety of topics, ranging from the Clippers’ playoff hump, to his offseason, to his favorite comedians.

More from Clipperholics

• Grade the trade: Clippers shockingly land Trae Young in wild proposal
• 3 of the most overpaid players on the LA Clippers’ roster
• Trading for this player covers the Clippers’ biggest weakness
• How will the LA Clippers fare in the in-season tournament?
• Why the LA Clippers should steer clear of recent gold medalist waiver

He also addressed his work ethic, as Redick praised him for being one of the hardest workers he’s ever played with. And after the development Blake has made, you can hardly fault Redick’s compliment.

Griffin said a lot of his work ethic comes from his parents:

"“My parents, I’ve always said, are two of the hardest working people I know. My dad, I used to watch him get up at 7 a.m. and he taught and coached in high school, which is kind of a thankless job. So he would be gone all day teaching, coaching, then come home and he had a second job.My parents had a small trophy company we ran out of the back of our house, so I’d watch him come home 8 o’clock at night, eat dinner really quick and then work until 2 o’clock in the morning every single day for most of my childhood, just to provide for my brother and I and our family.My mom was the same way, tireless work ethic; my brother was the exact same way. When he started getting recruited, I watched him get serious about basketball. He’d go to the gym and spend four hours in there, and I just thought that’s what I was supposed to do.”"

The impact Griffin’s parents had on him is obvious. Learning to work hard from a young age and growing up in that kind of environment is good for anyone, and it can only help push basketball players through the rough grind into the NBA.

Such drive to work hard and pursue a standard as close to perfection as possible (as he discussed with Redick) has allowed Griffin to become the player he is today, one who could be even better with more playmaking responsibilities. One who averaged 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game in the playoffs just one year ago.

must read: Ranking the Pacific Division for 2016-17

In his injury riddled 2015-16 season, Griffin was at his best when he was healthy enough to play. As a passer, which is the best skill of his to improve from his early days, he recorded a career-high assist percentage of 27.2 for the year (in a full season in 2014-15, he recorded 26.2).

In comparison to his rookie mark of 18.7, or 16.6 in his sophomore season, the leap forward he’s taken is obvious.

A strong work ethic has also pushed Griffin to not relax after having surgery this offseason. To resolve his quad issue, he waited just one week before going back to training, saying to Redick that he didn’t feel like he deserved a summer break.

“Part of [my work ethic] is just where I come from,” Griffin added. “I think the midwest is just kind of a hard working type of people. I kept that with me, because that’s what has gotten me to where I am today, and that’s something that I’ll never change. I don’t want to ever stop working.”

Next: Ranking Clippers' top 5 centers of all-time

As he returns healthy, motivated by that tireless drive to work, improve, and push his LA Clippers forward, you can expect big things from Blake Griffin next season.