How will Griffin impact Detroit on and off the court?

The not-so-long-awaited debut of Blake Griffin with the Detroit Pistons is set for Thursday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Pistons acquired Griffin on Monday in an unexpected deal that landed the supposed LA Clippers lifer in the Motor City.

How will Griffin impact the Pistons franchise?

Point forward

The Pistons' roster is depleted when it comes to playmaking ability. Reggie Jackson has become a tried-and-failed experiment after signing a five-year, $80-million deal, as his poor efficiency and questionable decision-making has made him difficult to rely on with the ball in his hands.

Enter Griffin, who's proven fully capable of taking care of an offense. With an injury-prone Clippers roster Griffin was having a relatively inefficient year, including missing 16 games this season. Now, with a fresh start, Griffin will have some new toys to play with, including Andre Drummond.

Stan Van Gundy will likely put the ball in Griffin's hands and let him go to work. The coach hasn't had a player of this caliber since Dwight Howard in Orlando. He flourished as the Magic's coach, and one of the keys to his success was running a system that utilized forward Hedo Turkoglu as the primary ball handler. Griffin should expect to be used in a similar manner, and what he lacks in long-range shooting, he makes up in explosive athleticism.

Griffin is averaging 5.1 assists per game over the past four seasons, fourth among all forwards during that span. His ability to see over the defense gives him an advantage and he is one of the best ball-handling big men in the NBA. It may take time to enforce a creative scheme that allows Griffin to dominate with the ball, but Van Gundy is arguably the best coach of his career. It's hard to imagine they won't figure something out sooner rather than later.

Blake and 'Dre

Griffin has left one All-Star center, DeAndre Jordan, in Los Angeles, only to find himself another in Detroit. The difference between the two stars, however, is night and day.

Jordan was able to shore up essentially every defensive problem Griffin had over the past couple seasons. His rim protection and ability to use his length and athleticism on switches made him a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Drummond won't give any of that. He's a poor defender and has shown little improvement through his career.

The most intriguing connection between Griffin and Drummond will be on the offensive end. As previously stated, Griffin is a phenomenal passer. A center teammate that can be used in post-ups will give him another option outside of forcing passes around the perimeter off drive-and-kicks. Drummond is fully capable of being the post-scorer Griffin has never had the opportunity to play with.

Drummond is a giant physical specimen, and takes up a lot of space on offense. However, he's learned to find ways of being far more effective with the ball in his hands, specifically from the high-post. He's averaging 3.9 assists per game - by far the highest in his career - and it's realistic to expect the Pistons to run sets to allow Griffin to roll to the rim with Drummond throwing lobs from the elbow.

Similar to Jordan, Drummond is dominant on the boards - currently leading the league at 15.3 per game - and is having the most efficient offensive season of his career. The fit will be nothing like the one he had with the Clippers, but on the offensive end, it might be the key to unlocking a few things we've yet to see from Drummond's repertoire.

Cultural impact

Think about this: when was the last time the Pistons got a bona fide star on their roster? The side that won the 2004 championship was built around a bunch of unwanted guys and a couple bad apples. Their last genuine superstar was Grant Hill, who played his final game with the Pistons in 2000 - he averaged 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists that year.

Since then, it's been, generally, a band of lesser talent. The Pistons haven't won a playoff game in a decade, making the postseason twice in that span and getting swept by the Cavaliers both times. The franchise that had been a Eastern Conference Finals staple through the 2000s has been irrelevant ever since.

For all Griffin can give on court, it's his off-court effect that may be the greatest. He spent 7.5 years with the Clippers, and signed a max extension in the offseason that was supposed to keep him around until at least 2022. That's what made this trade so stunning: he was ready to stick with one of the most broken franchises in all sports for the rest of his career.

Now, he can develop a brand new culture for the Pistons, something they haven't experienced in nearly two decades. Sure, none of this matters if he can't stay healthy. Yes, his price tag is expensive. But when you flip the channel to watch the Pistons - something you may not have done in a long time - you'll see a village of cheering fans in Little Caesars Arena.

The NBA is a business first. The Pistons just did something great for their business.

(Photo courtesy: Getty)