The Los Angeles Clippers have not exactly lived up to their pre-tourney hype and losing Blake Griffin for two to three weeks is likely to make things harder for the team moving forward.
The Clippers reasonably tote a 19–13 record, but the thing is many felt they would have at least carried a record similar to what San Antonio Spurs have right now (27–6).
Nevertheless, they can still improve as the season progresses, although a lot of adjustments may be needed. Now, with Griffin going down to a partially torn left quadriceps tendon, as reported by ESPN, head coach Doc Rivers' woes just got harder.
Griffin suffered the injury in the first quarter of their Christmas Day match against the Los Angeles Lakers. Griffin still managed to finish with 13 points and 12 rebounds as he was still used for 36 minutes. The injury was revealed only last Saturday when the Clippers star forward underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
With Griffin out, the Clippers will be missing 23.2 points, 8.7 rebound, and five assists per game. Those are big numbers, but it may be more of his muscle and work inside the shaded area that will be missed.
DeAndre Jordan will likely have to work double-time with Griffin out, although it may depend if there are other frontmen who can pick up the slack.
Josh Smith started in Griffin's place against the Utah Jazz but was hardly a factor. But as Rivers bared via the LA Times, he doesn't expect just one player to fill up the void left by Griffin.
So that means it may not be solely about finding the right person to fill Griffin's position. It could be adjustments or a scene wherein other players may have to step up as well.
Although his performance wasn't exactly impressive, Smith may want to focus and take it up a notch the next time he gets the chance. He has proven he can be an asset before when the chips are down and this should be that opportunity to somehow ante up his player value.
