Kevin Love vs. Blake Griffin

[thebigabd]

Shaq, Kenny, and Barkley agree these are the two best power forwards in the NBA. However, Shaq and Kenny think Blake is the best and Barkley thinks Love is the best.

Who do you got?

I gotta go with K-Love. He can do more out there. Blake is a far superior athlete, but Kevin has skills, touch, passing ability, shooting, etc that Blake will just never have. Plus Kevin is a better rebounder.

 

[DenverSooner]

I think Love is a better shooter and might always be a better shooter. I think both pass really well. I think both are really good rebounders but Love does it more with technique and position while Griffin is a freak athlete. Griffin finished on the break better and goes to the rim better.

Other than shooting, I think Blake can and will learn to obtain position and develop his technique to equal Love's. Right now I am not sure who is better but in the long term I think (and hope) Blake is better. I am clearly biased due to Blake being an OU guy.

You really can't go wrong with either guy.

 

[badger]

Kevin Love passes the ball, Blake Griffin creates stuff when he receives passes.

It's like asking if the chicken or egg came first... is it better to pass the ball, or make that pass into an assist for your teammate?

I am biased, but I say Blake is better.

 

[bocabull]

Blake is shooting 51% vs 43% for Love. As usually Barkley is wrong. Blake is head and shoulders above Love.

 

[152219]

Love's passing ability is better than Griffin's? Griffin's career assist average is essentially 2x higher than Love's. Love doesn't have Griffin's vision and ability to make plays for others. Furthermore, Griffin's ball handling for his size is also excellent.

And boca, shooting % isn't a good indicator of the ability of one to shoot the basketball. Love has range that Griffin doesn't. Love is averaging 2 made 3 pointers per game on 5.1 attempts this season. Griffin doesn't have that skill.

 

[campbest]

Love's passing ability is better than Griffin's? Griffin's career assist average is essentially 2x higher than Love's. Love doesn't have Griffin's vision and ability to make plays for others. Furthermore, Griffin's ball handling for his size is also excellent.And boca, shooting % isn't a good indicator of the ability of one to shoot the basketball. Love has range that Griffin doesn't. Love is averaging 2 made 3 pointers per game on 5.1 attempts this season. Griffin doesn't have that skill.

Love is generally regarded as the best outlet passer in the game.

 

[KCRuf/Nek]

Blake is shooting 51% vs 43% for Love. As usually Barkley is wrong. Blake is head and shoulders above Love.

See the game the other night. love buries the three to win the game.

 

[stoops4pres]

Shaq, Kenny, and Barkley agree these are the two best power forwards in the NBA. However, Shaq and Kenny think Blake is the best and Barkley thinks Love is the best.

Who do you got?

I gotta go with K-Love. He can do more out there. Blake is a far superior athlete, but Kevin has skills, touch, passing ability, shooting, etc that Blake will just never have. Plus Kevin is a better rebounder.

I agree that Love is a better rebounder, but if anything they are even in passing ability; Blake is a terrific passer. Didn't he lead all power forwards in assists last season?

Overall I'd take Love now, but Blake has the ability to dominate on the defensive end. Once he consistently applies himself to that side of the court, I'd go with him.

 

[stoops4pres]

Love's passing ability is better than Griffin's? Griffin's career assist average is essentially 2x higher than Love's. Love doesn't have Griffin's vision and ability to make plays for others. Furthermore, Griffin's ball handling for his size is also excellent.

And boca, shooting % isn't a good indicator of the ability of one to shoot the basketball. Love has range that Griffin doesn't. Love is averaging 2 made 3 pointers per game on 5.1 attempts this season. Griffin doesn't have that skill.

Agreed. Few (if any) 4's in the league can handle the ball as well as him.

 

[AdaSooner]

The better question is which player will be better two years from now?

As strange as it may seem to say one of the best power forwards in the game has a huge upside, that's certainly true of Blake. I won't even go in to the areas he can improve. We all know what they are. We also know how far he's come in the last three years and how hard he worked to get there. Is there any doubt that he will use that same determined effort to improve his weaknesses? Not a chance!

I like Love's game. But I'd take Blake over him and not even think twice about it.

 

[DenverSooner]

The better question is which player will be better two years from now?

As strange as it may seem to say one of the best power forwards in the game has a huge upside, that's certainly true of Blake. I won't even go in to the areas he can improve. We all know what they are. We also know how far he's come in the last three years and how hard he worked to get there. Is there any doubt that he will use that same determined effort to improve his weaknesses? Not a chance!

I like Love's game. But I'd take Blake over him and not even think twice about it.

Blake also sells more tickets. No offense to Love but people want to see dunks and amazing plays more than really good fundamental basketball.

 

[hoopsaustin]

On my nba2k11 fantasy draft I took both of them. They played well together t the 4 and 5. I like both of them equally

 

[152219]

Love is generally regarded as the best outlet passer in the game.

More to passing than just outlet passing.

 

[campbest]

More to passing than just outlet passing.

...And there is more to passing than assist numbers.

 

[152219]

...And there is more to passing than assist numbers.

Of course there is but to insinuate as the initial post does that Love is clearly a better passer and Griffin has no chance of ever being as good a passer as Love is laughable IMO. And Minnesota is currently tied for last in fast break points, so it could be argued that Love's outlet passing isn't helping Minnesota in stimulating quick offense.

 

[JBaker]

Love today, Blake for the future.

Love's skillset is basically mature.
The most important offseason for growth and improvement is generally between a players first and second seasons. Blake didn't get an offseason between his first and second year due to the lockout. I think he will still improve quite a bit. Love dealt with injuries his second season and faced a similar stunt in development.
But between his second and third seasons, his PPG went from 14 to 20, and his RPG went from 11 to 15. Obviously Blake isn't going to see THAT MUCH improvement, but it's proof that it can and will happen.

He will eventually develop a consistent midrange game. Right now it's there some nights and way off others.

 

[bocabull]

And boca, shooting % isn't a good indicator of the ability of one to shoot the basketball. Love has range that Griffin doesn't. Love is averaging 2 made 3 pointers per game on 5.1 attempts this season. Griffin doesn't have that skill.

That is totally wrong. Find me a great player who didn't shoot a high %. Michael Jordan was great because he shot over 50% for most of his career.

The Mavs have been to the NBA finals twice and both years Dirk shot over 50% from the field.

43% is poor and that's what Love is shooting. Blake is above 50% and is taking plenty of midrange shots. Field goal % is the most important stat in all of basketball.

And for people to say Love is a better passer than Blake when Blake averages twice the assists. That is comical too.

 

[152219]

That is totally wrong. Find me a great player who didn't shoot a high %. Michael Jordan was great because he shot over 50% for most of his career.

The Mavs have been to the NBA finals twice and both years Dirk shot over 50% from the field.

43% is poor and that's what Love is shooting. Blake is above 50% and is taking plenty of midrange shots. Field goal % is the most important stat in all of basketball.

And for people to say Love is a better passer than Blake when Blake averages twice the assists. That is comical too.

No, the better indicator would be "true shooting %".

This season
Love = .559
Griffin = .525

Career
Love = .564
Griffin = .549

 

[152219]

The Mavs have been to the NBA finals twice and both years Dirk shot over 50% from the field.

That comment is incorrect. The first time Dirk shot 50% from the field was the year they lost to Golden State in the 1st round.

 

[bocabull]

No, the better indicator would be "true shooting %".

This season
Love = .559
Griffin = .525

Career
Love = .564
Griffin = .549

Not sure how you are calculating this but Love is shooting 44% from 2 on 72% of his attempts and 39% from 3 on 28% of his attempts (which is the equivalent of 58.5% from 2) for a blended FG % of 48% which is still well below Blake's 51%.

Ok I looked up true shooting and see it includes free throws. Giving free throws the same weight as field goals is very misleading because the player is not being guarded. If you included them at 25% value maybe, full value, meaningless.