Blake Griffin, 'Feels Great,' and Cleared for Return

During an appearance on The Encore with Sage Steele, Blake Griffin announced his knee has fully recovered, and he has been cleared for play. The Pistons All-Star also stated, he is prepared to return to on-court action for the Pistons if the NBA season resumes.

The six-time All-Star had only been able to play 18 games in the 2019-2020 season, with knee surgery putting Griffin on the shelf for the remainder of the Pistons season (up until it's suspension). Griffin's injury led to the Pistons' front office reevaluating their direction, and opting to move into a rebuild.

The Pistons were 20-46 when the NBA season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and currently have the 5th best odds at the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Following Griffin's injury, and the 2020 trade deadline, players like Christian Wood, Svi Mykhaliluk, and Sekou Doumbouya received much larger roles on the team. Specifically, Christian Wood, who post trade deadline, emerged as one of the NBA's most improved players, and a fundamental building block for the Pistons going forward.

If the NBA season returns, and the Pistons play again in the 2019-2020 season, seeing Blake Griffin on the new-look Pistons alongside Derrick Rose, Sekou Doumbouya, Christian Wood, and Luke Kennard should give the Pistons a small glimpse into what the 2020-2021 season could look like for them, and what their offseason should look like. Currently, the Pistons have around $36 million in cap space, and, potentially, a top pick in the draft.

Featured Image: Kelvin Kuo (USA Today)