Rowan Kavner 
Digital Content Coordinator
LOS ANGELES – In an ideal world, Blake Griffin would’ve received ample time as a small-ball center during the regular season for that to be a comfortable option for head coach Doc Rivers in the postseason.
But, players get hurt. And, preseason plans don’t always pan out the way coaches expect to begin a year.
More than anything, Rivers wants Griffin as comfortable as possible back at his normal position at power forward after missing 45 games of the regular season and returning with only a handful of games left on the schedule.
“I want to see him at his normal position 95 percent of the time,” Rivers said. “But, yeah, I want to see him at the five at times, too.”
Rivers has to find out if that’s a viable option, so Griffin’s getting a couple minutes per game in that latter role with the backup unit while being worked back into his normal role. The benefits of Griffin as a mismatch at center are obvious, in theory, though Rivers doesn’t know at this point how much he’ll go to it in the postseason.
Rivers said he likes the idea of getting another passer and playmaker in that group, giving the Clippers the ability to switch at all five positions. Against a team as versatile as the Warriors, who could eventually be a second-round opponent for the Clippers, that ability is a luxury and almost a necessity.
Griffin’s third most-used lineup since returning from injury is at center in a small-ball lineup also featuring Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson and Jeff Green, though it’s only been used sparingly.
Still, the Clippers can see the benefit of such a role.
“I think we’ll be able to switch a lot more, spread the floor a lot more with Blake at the five, Jeff at the four, things like that,” said DeAndre Jordan. “We have so many weapons with a full, healthy team that both units, and even our small unit when we use it, is going to be great.”
Getting comfortable at two positions after a three-month hiatus is difficult enough. On top of that, Griffin’s trying to learn the center spot while playing alongside a teammate in Green who wasn’t even on the Clippers prior to Griffin’s injury.
Griffin said that can make things more difficult, but Green’s knowledge of the system makes that part of the transition back to the lineup more seamless.
“I have a good relationship with Jeff,” Griffin said. “That type of stuff is easy. It’s just about personally getting back in that rhythm and understanding his tendencies. It’s just like riding a bike, except it’s a little rusty.”
And, there’s not much time to shake the rust.
Griffin’s played 16 percent of the time at center this season, according to Basketball Reference, up from two percent of the time last year and nine percent the year prior. But, his experience at the position is still limited.
One of the most difficult parts in that transition, Rivers noticed, is for Griffin to figure out when to roll as a center.
“Usually at the four, he doesn’t roll,” Rivers said. “Also, knowing when to pop. We actually called one set and he went to the four spot, but there was no four on the floor, there were four guards. But, that will come.”
It just may need to come during the playoffs, as Griffin would only have one more regular season game if the Clippers rest most of their starters in Phoenix to end the season, as expected.
“I do think it’s a great lineup for us, and so we’re going to use it,” Rivers said. “Hopefully, we can get it going during the playoffs,”