Blake Griffin shrugs off the notion that he was heavily recruited to Brooklyn. He says that Kevin Durant only cursorily implored him for this move.
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With or without Kyrie Irving for the foreseeable future, the Nets remain arguably the NBA’s predominant force. In Kevin Durant and James Harden, they have 2 of the game’s top 4 offensive talents.
This recipe alone should serve to win them multiple playoff series. But what really differentiates the Nets from other favorites this year is their sheer strength in depth.
Blake Griffin makes up a huge component of that depth, just as he did last year. The only difference this year is that the Nets look more locked in than ever – save for Kyrie Irving.
Blake Griffin says that Kevin Durant ‘barely’ recruited him to the Nets
Blake Griffin was a guest with Graham Bensinger in an in-depth interview a few months after he joined the Brooklyn Nets. The former Clippers superstar revealed that none of the Nets Big 3, including Kevin Durant, really recruited him that hard:
“I don’t really wanna say it was recruiting, it really wasn’t. Once I was figuring out a deal with Detroit, I was just kinda weighing my options. I’ve known Kevin (Durant) and James and Kyrie for a long time. We’ve worked out together before. We spoke on text, that was really it.”
“I don’t mean to sound like I’m not appreciative of that. Somebody asked me about that, ‘Who recruited you the hardest?’ And I was just like ‘I guess, Kevin?’ It wasn’t like he was flying to my house. It was just like ‘Come bring your a** to Brooklyn’, you know.”
Whether or not Blake was recruited by Kevin Durant, it was clear that the Nets were a great fit for him. He showed that with some spirited play to finish the year out.
There were times during last year’s playoffs when he looked like the best Giannis defender in the league. As basketball fans, one would hope that Blake is able to display his best while playing for the Nets this year.