New Year Resolutions for NBA's top 5 players
Many websites have ranked LeBron James as the outright number 1 NBA player heading into the 2014-15 season. But through the latter part of last season and the game against the Phoenix Suns (44 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists) on New Year’s Eve, Kevin Durant has proved that he is the best player on the planet right now.Recovering from a Jones fracture he suffered at the beginning of training camp and then spraining it 10 games later, Durant’s off and on presence on the court with the team has prevented them from being consistent. It is quite clear that if he intends to make the Oklahoma City Thunder’s championships dream turn into reality his new year resolution for 2015 must be to remain injury free for the rest of the season.That takes care of Durant, but what about the New Year resolutions of the contenders and the league’s other superstars? Let’s have a look at the New Year resolutions of NBA’s top 5 players (according to the ESPN ranking) in order to help their team become a legit contender or in some of these cases win a championship:
#5 Blake Griffin- Shoot lesser mid-range shots and impose while in the paint
Yes, Blake Griffin is trying to show us the mid-range jumper he has worked on this summer. Although he is hitting it at a decent rate of .495, his new style of play of favoring the jumpshot more than a move in the post is hurting his team and his own performance as well.
Perhaps he worked so hard on his jumper to avoid the physicality involved in his post moves, more specifically the hard fouls the opponents committed on him. Nevertheless he is being paid a hell lot of money to do what is best for his team, which isposting up in the paint and creating dunks for front-court partner DeAndre Jordan or dishing it to shootersat the perimeter.
Here are key stats which explain the change in Griffins game:
| Blake Griffin stats | Field Goal Percentage | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2013-14 season | .528 | 9.5 | 3.9 |
| 2014-15 season (so far) | .483 | 7.8 | 5.0 |
He has been able to create more for his teammates butmoving away from the paint has not helped Griffins efficiency in terms of field goal percentage and rebounding. Maybe it was the Los Angeles Clippers production at the small forward spot and not Griffin change in style that caused problems early on. Still he must get back to basics and do now, what was beneficial to him and his team last season