Blake Griffin finding path to relevancy with Nets so shorthanded

Blake Griffin banged his knee and felt it growing tighter throughout Saturday’s second half.

But his knees were attached to a body that has not tested positive for the coronavirus recently, which meant coming out of the game for any extended length of time was not an option.

In a matchup in which the Nets only dressed eight players, three of whom were not on the team a week earlier, Griffin logged over 32 minutes for his season high. If the 6-foot-9 big man were subbed out, the 6-7 Kessler Edwards likely would have had to account for the 7-foot Robin Lopez.

“Wasn’t great,” Griffin acknowledged about his knee after the loss to the Magic.

Amid a chaotic few weeks for Brooklyn, one of the quieter developments has been Griffin transitioning from a player who could not step on the court to a player the Nets cannot take off the court.

Griffin had not played for seven of the eight games from Nov. 24-Dec. 10, demoted all the way out of the rotation after shooting 16 percent from 3 in his first 17 games.

The COVID-19 outbreak that has taken such a toll on the Nets, who have 10 players stuck in the protocols, might have provided a new path to relevance for Griffin.

In five games since the 32-year-old returned to the rotation, he has shot better (50 percent from the field) if not overwhelmingly so (30 percent from 3). His defense continues to be effective and unique, tied with Miami’s Kyle Lowry at 18 for the most charges drawn in the NBA, despite Griffin being in and out of the lineup.

His 17 points on Saturday, going 6 of 13 from the field while adding seven rebounds, six assists and two steals against Orlando, is the type of performance that could lead to minutes even when the Nets are healthier.

“Blake’s played great,” Steve Nash said Saturday. “Like I’ve said to him, we know there’s always something around the corner, so although he was out of the rotation for a little while, we knew something would happen and he’d get his opportunity again, and he’s a pro.

“Worked his butt off, stayed in shape, found a rhythm. He’s playing good basketball.”

At a time when no other Nets’ big man can play basketball. On Tuesday, ahead of Brooklyn’s expected return to play Thursday in Portland, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Claxton, Paul Millsap, James Johnson and Day’Ron Sharpe were still in the protocols, part of the reason two of their games this week have been postponed.

Each of the big men offers something different. Aldridge’s perimeter game is unmatched, and Claxton’s youth and athleticism provides a different element that especially pairs well with James Harden’s game. Griffin theoretically should offer the most in stretching defenses, but his shot from deep was not falling to begin the season.

On Saturday, he looked more like the shooter who boosted Brooklyn last season, when he shot 38.3 percent from beyond the arc in 26 games. During a second-quarter stretch, he rattled off 11 straight points, six of which were right-wing 3s. He is making a case to leapfrog other Nets centers and forwards.

When Griffin was benched, some of the minutes that he could have received went to Millsap, and the former stars but current complementary pieces might have to fight out who sees time when the Nets are whole again.

Griffin is at least back on the radar for playing time, which is an accomplishment for a player who entered one game in 2 ¹/₂ weeks and quickly had to play 30-plus minutes for three consecutive contests.

“I take pride in it for sure. This is my job, you know?” Griffin, who was frustrated by his knee, said about the pivot from forgotten to vital. “You do all that stuff to stay ready and then can’t really be 100 percent in the second half.

“That’s frustrating, but it would be more frustrating if I didn’t stay ready and I wasn’t there for my teammates.”