Chris Paul recently challenged Los Angeles Clippers teammate Blake Griffin to step up his role, and apparently the 6-foot-10 power forward has agreed and accepted.
"Blake is one of those guys, where his age has nothing to do with anything," Paul said back on Aug. 6 to ESPN. "People may say he's a young guy, but he's been special in this league, he's been an All-Star. His voice carries a lot of weight and I think our team will definitely go as Blake goes."
Griffin apparently agreed with Paul.
"[Paul] has a huge role on this team," Griffin told ESPN on Thursday. "He's been the guy who has closed out a lot of games late for us. "But in my mind, this is the year I need to step into that role and really help him shoulder that load. I'll be right there with him at the end of games, being the guy that he can always count on."
Griffin, 24, has yet to lead the team past the second round of the playoffs and is heading into his fourth year with the Clippers while establishing himself as one of the league's best power forwards. In all three of his NBA seasons, Griffin has made the All-Star team.
Griffin was below his career average last season in scoring (18.0) and rebounding (8.3) as he played three less minutes per game in hopes to stay healthy. However, his 3.7 assists per game and 1.2 steals per contest were higher last year than his totals in the 2011-12 season. Still, Griffin suffered an ankle injury which limited him in last year's playoffs, but told ESPN that he was able to rest it this summer and completely heal the badly sprained ankle.
Griffin helped lead the Clippers to a first place finish in the Pacific Division last season and to the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a 56-26 overall record, but the team fizzled out in the first round of the playoffs to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games.
Still, after a disappointing finish, Griffin is excited to step up this year after a great offseason.
"This summer has been so great for me," Griffin said per ESPN. "I've had a completely healthy, full summer to be able to work with our coaching staff, once I got over the ankle thing. This summer has been huge for me and it's one of the reasons I'm so excited about next year."
While Paul and Griffin have had some different views in philosophies over the past few years, they've spent a significant amount of time together this summer and Paul insists it did wonders for them.
"It's been a great summer for us. I think we've both had an opportunity to grow," Paul said according to ESPN. "As you get older you realize it's all about winning and I think we both realize we really need each other in order to do that."
Paul has challenged Griffin to lead the team to greatness, and it all starts against the Los Angeles Lakers opening night on Oct. 29.
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