LAS VEGAS — It hasn't taken long for top NBA draft pick Blake Griffin to cause commotion on a team often starving for publicity.
After his 27-point effort in an NBA Summer League game this week, the Los Angeles Clippers' rookie power forward returned with the team to their hotel. While in a narrow corridor, a group of fans noticed Griffin and surged forward in hopes of meeting him and getting an autograph.
"Mostly grown men, so it wasn't really my crowd," Griffin, 20, said. "It was a little crazy, but it died down."
If Griffin continues to make the strides that are expected, it won't be long before those across all demographics will be jockeying for position when he approaches. In two games here, Griffin has averaged 21.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 69.2%.
"He's playing great, doing all the things we thought he could do," said Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, watching Griffin play from a courtside seat at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center while assistant Kim Hughes runs the team. "He rebounds, he handles the ball, he scores, he passes and he runs a lot.
Ever the perfectionist, Griffin doesn't fully agree with Dunleavy's assessment that he's playing great. Griffin gave himself a "B-minus" in his debut Monday, despite the 27 points and 12 rebounds. In that 93-82 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, Griffin said he forgot some plays and believed he could have done better defensively.
After he scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in an 88-86 win Tuesday against the New Orleans Hornets, Griffin declined to grade himself. He said he did better remembering plays and on defense but wasn't pleased with his energy level.
"Yeah, definitely," Griffin said when asked if he's a perfectionist. "My biggest thing is, when you have a good game, you have to minimize your mistakes. You pass the ball, you rebound the ball, you score well, you do all those things well. You don't have any holes in your game."
So far, Hughes isn't finding many holes. "What's scary about him and unique about him is he combines speed and power," Hughes said. "Not many guys do that. LeBron (James) does. (Griffin is a) 'big' that combines speed and power. He reminds me a little bit of (former ABA and NBA star) George McGinnis."
Lakers forward Adam Morrison compares Griffin, who is listed at 6-10 but measured at 6-81/2 without shoes at the NBA draft combine, to another undersized power forward.
"He's like (Charles) Barkley in that he's a guy who's a smaller (power) forward, but he's really athletic and can put it on the floor and shoot," Morrison said.
Griffin likes to use the backboard, which he often does after a spin move. He can make the highlight shows with his dunks, but he will go to the finger roll.
"That's kind of the way I learned it," Griffin said of his throwback ways. "I love using the glass. It gives me a comfort level. I guess that's old school."
Maybe that's why he was so popular with those grown men.
