Getty Blake Griffin of the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics will be depending on their backup bigs — including Blake Griffin — a lot this season with Robert Williams III out for 8-12 weeks, Danilo Gallinari expected to miss the entire season with a torn ACL and 36-year-old Al Horford likely past his prime.
But what will Griffin’s role be this season? According to one Eastern Conference executive, the Celtics would rather not have to rely on 33-year-old Griffin, who hasn’t been dominant since 2018-19.
“They’re hoping they don’t need him to do much,” the exec told Heavy NBA insider Sean Deveney. “The more he has to do, the worse off it is for them. But he is just a good hustle guy, a good veteran at the end of the bench who you can trust to put on the floor for 10-15 minutes.”
The executive said the situation would be different if Williams wasn’t going to be on the shelf for the first few months of the season.
“If Rob Williams had stayed healthy, they would have wanted to go with young guys to fill out those roles,” the exec said. “But the injury spooked them.”
Griffin was signed October 3 after Williams underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee and 7-foot-2 center Luke Kornet sprained his ankle in late September.
.@blakegriffin23 and @Grant2Will putting in some necessary skills training at practice today 🏈👀
Griffin Revealed Why He Joined the Celtics
Talking to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston, Griffin revealed how big a role the Celtics’ core played in his joining the team.
“It was a huge part of it,” Griffin said, according to an October 13 story by Forsberg. “Obviously, this organization, from top to bottom, is special in that they hold people to championship expectations. Some people can shy away from that. These guys have embraced it, they’re part of it. So that was a draw.”
Blake Griffin knocks down the three ball!
Griffin added that it’s been easy getting to know his new teammates because of how friendly they’ve been toward him.
“Also, guys on the team being great guys, and since I got here, the guys that I didn’t really know that well, I’ve gotten to know really well. When you do it for 14 years, it’s easier to come into a situation and sort of feel comfortable,” he said. “I guess the older you get, just the more comfortable you are with yourself.”
Jayson Tatum knocks down a clutch free throw at tonight’s Jack Harlow concert while Blake Griffin, Payton Pritchard and thousands of Boston fans cheer him on
Griffin Called Celtics’ Culture Refreshing
Griffin praised the Celtics’ culture for having “normal guys,” including their best players, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
“These guys are very — I mean this in the best way — are normal guys, and that’s what you want in a team,” Griffin said Griffin. “You don’t want crazy egos, you don’t want this or that. Even our two superstars — even JB and JT — are just so easy to talk to. So a very, very refreshing experience.”
Griffin calling the Celtics’ environment “refreshing” has been interpreted as a shot at his previous team, the Brooklyn Nets. But, according to Forsberg’s story, Griffin noted that he was not crtiticizing former teammates.
“I don’t mean that as a knock with anybody that I’ve played with or against,” Griffin said. “It’s just you don’t always have a team full of guys who just seem like they’re good dudes. And not that there’s bad guys — it’s just hard to describe. But I truly don’t mean that as a knock towards anybody. Really, I haven’t had bad teammates.”