NBA Rumors: Former Slam Dunk King's High Flying Days Likely Over

Blake Griffin is best known as that burly power forward who can muscle his way inside the paint. And when he does, most basketball fans expect a thunderous jam to cap it all up. That thunderous finish may be up for tweaking starting next season.

After being traded by the Los Angeles Clippers to the Detroit Pistons in 2018, it seemed that the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Champion finally found a new lease on life. However, injuries slowed down the six-time NBA All-Star and Griffin recently underwent surgery for his knee after the Pistons were eliminated in the postseason wars.

The good news is even if Griffin went under the knife, he is not expected to miss any planned offseason training, The Bleacher Report reported. This means that once he gets a clean bill of health, the 30-year-old can work his way back to health. However, there could be changes to his game starting next season.

Griffin has endured various injuries in his basketball career. That includes suffering a stress fracture in his left knee during the 2009-10 NBA season. He also went through injury-plagued seasons from 2015-18 ranging from partially torn quadriceps and troublesome knees. Adding all these together, Griffin will have to be more cautious once he is up and about to develop new facets in his game.

So far, the 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year has shown a perimeter game. Rather than bulldoze his way and finish with rim-rattlers, it is a good sign that the top pick of the 2009 NBA Draft has been busy working on expanding his repertoire.

While NBA fans can still expect Griffin to dunk with gusto when the situation is there, wise decisions when going for the basket is expected from the 6-foot-10 cager. There is no question that Griffin wants to be on the basketball court, regardless if he is playing with only one good knee. But looking ahead, he will need to be extra careful to avoid suffering further (and possibly major) injuries if he is to stay in the NBA for longer.

Piston head coach Dwane Casey lauds the bravery and toughness of Griffin this past NBA season, NBA.com reported. However, it remains that he must overlook his star forward as well to make sure Detroit remains competitive.