Substitute - Power Forward

Blake Griffin
One of the NBA's brightest upcoming stars, Blake Griffin has quickly become the face of the Los Angeles Clippers franchise. As a prototypical power forward, his dominant physical presence combined with his outstanding size and strength make him one of the NBA's elite athletes. The NBA recognized him as such, by naming him the NBA Rookie of the Month for November.

That award should not really be considered a surprise for the No. 1 draft pick of the 2009 draft — except that he was named the Rookie of the Month for November of 2010, not 2009, the year he was drafted. After dominating summer league play and the 2009 preseason, Griffin suffered a season-ending injury just days before the 2009-10 NBA season was to begin. That is where his strong work ethic and legendary workout sessions quickly made him one of the hardest-working men in the business. It is this constant drive to be the best that has fueled his success and dominance at every level.

Under the tutelage of his father and alongside his brother, Taylor, Griffin led his high school team to four straight Oklahoma state championships, posting an amazing 106-6 overall record during his four-year run. His high school career culminated with his selection as the Oklahoma Player of the Year and a McDonald's All-American his senior season. He arrived at the University of Oklahoma as one of the university's most high-profile recruits in a quarter of a century.

Not to disappoint, Griffin played up to the hype during his freshman campaign as he was named a first-team All-Big 12 selection and to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team after averaging a team-leading 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds a game and leading the Sooners to a 23–12 record. He was the first true freshman at OU to average that many points and rebounds since Wayman Tisdale in 1983. The rookie recorded 10 double-doubles and scored in double figures in 21 of his last 25 games. He was a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 31 and Jan. 28) and the Jan. 14 Rookie of the Week.

Griffin followed that effort with a sophomore campaign that will likely be remembered as one of the most dominant seasons by a collegiate player. While leading OU to the Sweet 16, Griffin was rewarded for his outstanding play by being chosen the Naismith, Wooden and Associated Press Player of the Year en route to being a consensus selection as National Player of the Year.

In addition, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection after averaging 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds per game. He set a Big 12 record of 30 double-doubles, which was one short of the NCAA record of 31, set by David Robinson in 1986–1987, and he also ranked No. 1 nationally in rebounding and double-doubles (30), second in field goal percentage and 11th in scoring, while his points, rebounds and field goal marks set Big 12 records. His rebound total was the highest in a season by an NCAA Division I player since Indiana State's Larry Bird in 1978-79 and his rebounding average was the highest since Wake Forest's Tim Duncan averaged 14.7 in 1996-97.

He also earned a record-tying six Big 12 Player of the Week awards and recorded at least 20 points and 15 rebounds a Big 12-record 15 times. His season was punctuated on Feb. 14, 2009, when he notched the only game of at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in Big 12 history when he finished with a career-high 40 points and a career-high 23 rebounds against Texas Tech. His 40 points against the Red Raiders were the most by a Sooner in 15 seasons while his 23 rebounds were the most in 20 years.

Having accomplished everything he could at the collegiate level, Griffin declared for the NBA draft in April 2009, citing a lifelong dream of playing in the NBA. On June 25, 2009, a lifetime's worth of hard work was realized as Griffin was selected by the Clippers with the first pick overall in the NBA draft.

And where does he go from here? Well there is no limit to that.