Break the Curse

Blake Griffin vs. Michael Beasley

Being the No.1 pick of this year's NBA draft, Blake Griffin will be drawing unprecedented spotlight for a Clipper.  We all wonder just how good he will be.  I wont be able to predict the future but I think Griffin compares favorably with Michael Beasley, last year's 2nd pick.  Both are born in 1989 with identical height and body type.

Here are some physical and basketball attributes and on both players:

Beasley(Miami Heat)

Beasley is projected to be Miami's starting SF while seeing some minutes at PF for the upcoming season. Like Derrick Rose, Beasley was asked to play a significant role on a marginal playoff team.  He averaged 14pts in 24mins of playing time while coming off the bench for most of the season.  Playing time should increase for Beasley but the recently acquired Quentin Richardson might be playing a significant amount of SF if coach Spoelstra wants to spread the floor for Wade.

Griffin(Los Angeles Clippers)

Griffin is slotted as Clippers' starting PF and is likely to receive heavy minutes right away.  His main competitor for playing time will be Craig Smith who is also undersized.  I see Griffin easily getting 32+ mins/game.

Who will be better(this season)?

• Inside/Post Offense

Beasley came in to the league as one of the best inside finisher who can uses his athleticism to finish with either hand.  However, Beasley has not attacked the rim at all during his rookie season.  His abysmal 3 freethrow attempts/game and low inside shot attempts clearly show he is simply settling for contested perimeter shots against taller defenders.  Miami's SF position averaged almost 4 less free throw attempts per game than the opposite SF.  Some of this may be caused by Miami's offensive sets as only 15% of his shot attempts came from post-up moves.  This means he is not getting plays called for him inside and he is always hanging around the perimeter. Now facing taller and better NBA defenders, Beasley's lack of a go-to post move really restricts his offensive potential as an undersized 4.  Miami's SFs were outscored by 6points per game by opposition's SF.  This is a very significant margin and shows the ineffectiveness of Beasley's offense.

At Oklahoma, Griffin was a dominant finisher around the rim while shooting 65% and grabbing 14.4 boards per game.  I strongly believe Griffin's inside game will translate in the NBA much better than Beasley's.  As Griffin will playing only power forward, he will be getting more opportunities close to the basket.  He also has the benefit not having Wade on his team and Mike Dunleavy's preference to run half court sets.  Unlike Beasley, Blake Griffin lacks a true outside shot so he won't be hanging around the perimeter much.

Edge: Blake Griffin

• Perimeter Shooting & Passing

Beasley is a very good midrange shooter and he also shot 40% from 3s last season.  He is guaranteed to have more 3pt attempts this season.  The Heat should also expect improvement on his 44% shooting from 17 feet and out.  Beasley is not much of a passer or ball handler but he wasn't drafted to pass the ball.  As he gains more experience, his passing and decision making will improve somewhat closer to NBA average.

Griffin is definitely an inferior shooter to Beasley.  Although he is reported working hard on it and also made a few 3s in Las Vegas summer league, his outside shooting will be a weakness for this season.  Midrange jumpers should eventually be part of his offensive repertoire but that is years away.  Griffin has above average ball handling skills and shows willingness to pass the rock in college.  Rookie mistakes are expected but he will fare better and be less turnover-prone than Beasley.  It should be noted that Griffin is a terrible ft shooter(59%).

Edge: Michael Beasley

• Defense & Rebounding

Beasley has been a surprising bad rebounder for the Heat.  Given his size, atheltism and rebounding prowess in college, he should've been an above rebounder at the 3 spot.  Being lazy and constantly being on the perimeter/out of position can explain his low rebounding rate.  Beasley is frankly an astrocious defender, and now it will only be worse as he spends more time as the SF this season.

As perviously mentioned, Griffin should be spending most of his time inside 15' which makes it more likely his rebounding dominance from college will carry over.  Griffin won't be a good defender this season but he definitely has the potential and work ethic.

Edge: Blake Griffin

All in all, Beasley seems to lack the drive and mentality for success.  Certainly it seems like Chicago made the correct choice in picking Rose, esspecially if Beasley continues to settle for perimeter shots this season.  Beasley should add to his scoring as he will be getting plent of playing time.  18ppg should be very doable as well as one 3 each game.  Blake Griffin will be a far more effective player as a rookie.  I see him playing like a David Lee and approaching 15/8 this season with 32 mins of playing time.  I believe his work ethic/unselfish attitude and better defensive potential make Griffin a more worthy #1 pick.

Stats used in this article are extracted from draftexpress.com and 82games.com