After clearing waivers, he agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets while spurning rumored advances from contenders like the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat.

The Nets have performed well this season amid some chaos. Between guard Kyrie Irving’s missed stretch of games due to personal reasons, the acquisition of James Harden and Kevin Durant’s missed time due to injuries and COVID protocols, the Nets have used the opportunity to try different lineups and see what works. Adding Griffin will be another wrinkle added to the Nets’ ever-changing rotation.

Griffin’s style of play has transformed dramatically over the past two seasons. Once an athletic phenom, he hasn’t dunked in an NBA game since December of 2019. Griffin had 214 dunks in his rookie season and his dunks per season have declined over the course of his career. Turning 32 next week, Griffin’s moving around slowly and is lacking the physical punch that came with his game from his early days. Just 14.4 percent of his shot attempts have come from zero to three feet according to Basketball Reference this season.

Griffin is relying on the three-point shot at an increasingly high rate. Nearly 56 percent of his field goal attempts have come from behind the three-point line. Despite launching from deep so much, Griffin is shooting just 31.5 percent from long distance.

Reports have said that the Nets expect to play him as a small-ball center with their bench. Currently, Harden has taken the lion's share of minutes as the star playing with Brooklyn’s bench lineups. Presumably, Griffin would share time with Harden in those early second quarter alignments.

With shooters like Landry Shamet and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot off the bench, Griffin does add a different element to Brooklyn’s offense as a screener and passer. He’s excelled in dribble handoffs with other shooters over the past few years such as Wayne Ellington and Reggie Bullock.

Recently, the Nets have found a good action with Bruce Brown as a screener when Harden is trapped on the pick-and-roll. It’s similar to what Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has done with Stephen Curry. Brown has been able to make plays out of that action and either score or find the open man.

One of Griffin’s skills that still shines is his passing ability. He’s still a big body in the post and he can make plays for others. Griffin could work well in a pick-and-roll with Harden and make plays either for himself or his teammates. Though he’s not the finisher he used to be, Griffin would have more space to operate and less of a crowd to contest his shots in the paint.

The Nets already have their issues on defense. Ranked 26th in defensive efficiency, they have been better after altering their defense to a switch-heavy philosophy. Brooklyn has ranked 16th in defense over the last 11 games. Griffin will be tested if he’s forced to switch onto a tough matchup out on the perimeter, and he will require some help from Brooklyn’s other players to help him. Never a shot-blocker, Griffin will have to rely on positioning to deter the opposition's forays into the paint. Rebounding also has become a growing weakness for Griffin as well.

Griffin is unlikely to dominate or rediscover his previous success in the league. The Nets don’t need the old Griffin. Brooklyn has other options with starter and former "Lob City" running buddy DeAndre Jordan, Jeff Green, Nicolas Claxton and Durant all being capable of playing the center position in different lineups.

With better passers and the attention that comes with checking Durant, Irving and Harden, Griffin will have many open looks. He might be able to carve out a role in Brooklyn. If Griffin can improve his perimeter shooting, then he could help Brooklyn while revitalizing his career.

For the Nets, depth isn’t a bad thing. The question for Griffin will be if he can accept potentially seeing limited or no minutes in a playoff series if the matchups don’t favor him.

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