Blake Griffin was plagued by injuries last season, injuries that occurred both on and off the court.

“I don’t ever enjoy time away from the game,” Griffin said. “But it does make you appreciate what you have. Every time something is taken away, you’re forced to take a step back and realize how much that thing means to you. You don’t realize what you’ve got until it’s gone. This was a good restart, for me to remember why I’m here and what I love doing the most.”   

Griffin finished third in MVP voting during the 13-14 season.

Griffin will essentially be in a contract year as he's expected to decline his $21.4 million player option for 17-18 with the Los Angeles Clippers to sign a long-term max contract.

“Contract year or not a contract year, I’m playing the exact same way and focused on the exact same things,” Griffin says. “I haven’t had any conversations about free agency or about anything. If there’s something that anybody hears throughout the course of the season, it’s false, because it didn’t come from me. … This season is just like any other season. My main focus is to accomplish what we’re here to accomplish, and that’s a championship.”

Griffin has been linked to his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder.

“That talk doesn’t impact me,” Griffin says dismissively, when reminded about the hopeful hometown theory. “It’s always going to be there. Fans always want to speculate. My main focus all summer long was getting healthy and getting better. My main focus now is this season. There’s so much basketball to play. I don’t want to say what other players do is none of my business, because it does affect your business whether you’re playing against them. But whether KD is in Oklahoma or Golden State, it’s all the same. We’re going to lace up and play whatever team anybody is with.”