What happened to Blake Griffin? Boston Celtics veteran's injury explored

Former NBA All-Star Blake Griffin signed a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics last summer. Griffin appeared in just 41 regular-season games for the Celtics and has only played one postseason game so far.

At the age of 34, Griffin is no longer the player he once was — an athletic power forward who can score, rebound and jump over anyone. Injuries over the years have depleted him of his athleticism and has been on the back end of the Celtics' rotation this season.

Griffin finished the regular season averaging 4.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He played 13.9 minutes per contest and has only been used as a backup center when Robert Williams III was recovering from knee surgery.

Blake Griffin has been available to play throughout the NBA playoffs, but Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has not included him in the rotation. Griffin was dealing with a minor back injury back in the second round against the Philadelphia 76ers.

All throughout his career, Griffin has endured several knee injuries, including a broken knee cap during his first year in the league. He went on to miss the entire season due to the injury.

Griffin had undergone a couple of knee surgeries during his stint with the LA Clippers. He also had several knee surgeries as a member of the Detroit Pistons from 2019 to 2021. It has been that kind of story for Griffin's once promising career that saw him become one of the best players in the NBA at some point.

---

Blake Griffin career retrospective

Blake Griffin during his time with the LA Clippers

Blake Griffin was one of the most hyped prospects in NBA history. Griffin was a collegiate star for the Oklahoma Sooners, dazzling everyone with his crazy athleticism. He was the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA that also had players such as Steph Curry, James Harden and DeMar DeRozan.

Griffin missed his entire first year in the NBA after suffering a knee injury in the preseason. He returned the next season and won the Rookie of the Year. He put on quite a show, dunking on everybody with ease. He spent seven and a half seasons with the Clippers, but never made it to the Western Conference finals.

The six-time All-Star was traded to the Detroit Pistons midway through the 2017-18 NBA season. He was bought out by the Pistons in the middle of the 2020-21 season and signed with the Brooklyn Nets for the rest of the campaign.

Griffin spent one more season in Brooklyn before joining the Boston Celtics this year. His days as a star player, even an effective role player, is seemingly over. He has career averages of 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists.